


Seeing Red

by Crazyeight



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Drama & Romance, F/M, Masturbation, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:57:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 47,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazyeight/pseuds/Crazyeight
Summary: It wasn't how Rika expected things to go when she considered asking Takato out on a date, but considering how their luck usually ran, she should have expected something to go wrong straight away. The universe had it out for them after all, and it was eager for amusement.





	1. Chapter 1

Sunlight gently warmed the roof of the house, and with it the golden fur of a tall, foxlike creature seated upon it, her long tail swishing as she waited for the girl below to finish getting herself ready for the day. Her ears twitching at the sound of movement below, she rose to her feet and sure enough a redheaded teenage girl with her hair tied back into a blazing ponytail emerged out onto the path of her home, kicking her shoes on. Above her, the fox tilted her head to one side, taking note of her shirt.

_Red today? Interesting._

"Ready to go, Renamon?" Rika asked, looking over her shoulder and up at the fox, who nodded in return.

"Always, Rika." The vixen paused, considering the red shirt for a moment before continuing. "Are we going to Takato's place today?"

At this, the girl's violet-colored eyes frowned slightly, a touch of red coloring her cheeks.

"If you can figure it out so fast, then what's the point of even asking?"

Grasping hold of the rooftop with her large, white-furred hands, Renamon flipped down, landing next to her, a small smile on her muzzle.

"I apologize," she chuckled to the teen. "I'll take care to avoid answering my own questions in the future. Might I ask what is the purpose of your visit?"

"You probably already know the answer anyway," Rika replied tersely, starting down the path toward the open gate of her home.

"Perhaps," Renamon returned, trailing after the girl, easily keeping pace with her. "Do you also want me to take you there or would you rather be left to your own feet?"

"Okay, you _really _need to stop doing that," Rika grumped, picking up her pace as they left the entrance to their home.

"I see the answer is the latter then…"

"You know, just because Dinoboy said that you're always right doesn't mean you always are!" Rika huffed while Renamon simply gave another, light chuckle at her dear friend and partner's agitated behavior. This song and dance between them was an old one, and the kitsune knew that Rika was venting some other frustration that lay on her heart, knowing full well that doing so now was better than later when she wanted – _needed –_ to be of another mood for whatever she had on her mind with regards to her friend and fellow digimon Tamer, Takato Matsuki. Even her taking a much longer trip to his home was something of a delaying tactic meant to help her work things out so she would be ready for the _real _battle ahead of her. At times, Renamon found it was occasionally necessary to encourage this, but of course, Rika, being who she was, tended to resent help at times and so found other means to vent by herself.

Fortunately, that was not today, suggesting Rika was grateful for the assistance and felt that she needed it before arriving at her friend's home.

Renamon's azure gaze touched Rika's sleeveless, low cut shirt, considering it for a moment, having an inkling of what was on her mind, for this too was a sign of her agitation.

After all, Rika's mood often showed in her colors.

It took a bit of time to discover this. Renamon, being an otherworldly creature – a digimon – from another plain of existence born from the Earth's Internet was not used to humans and how they expressed their emotions, and Rika, her human Tamer, expressed them with far less ease than most humans, and complicating matters still further she didn't socialize well. Yet, in the fullness of time, as Rika made friends she could count on and Renamon grew closer to her, she began to discover things about her that were…_fascinating _from her perspective.

Whether unconsciously or consciously at first, she didn't know for certain and even today she couldn't be sure which was the case, but she knew that Rika best expressed herself in the clothes she wore. It was something of an irony, given her distaste for fashion statements – a distaste forged by her mother's early attempts at trying to dress her rebellious daughter in a more traditionally feminine style and later pushing her to follow her into the modeling business – but there it was all the same. When they first met, Rika's shirt had been dark-grey with a human skull emblazoned on it and topped off with a black leather jacket. As their partnership advanced over the course of the year, she traded it in for a white shirt with a purple, broken-heart symbol and by its end, the heart became a mended one – a reconciliation gift from her mother and one that Rika bore as her good luck charm for some years until she grew too big for it.

Her style continued to evolve and change since then. A long sleeved turquoise shirt that hid her changing figure as puberty set in before again changing back to her previous, preferred style, a photograph of sorts of her thought process at the time, the first being a defensive posture and the other a reclaiming of sorts; fighting back against the fears that had first rose up in her as her body changed and matured. Rika's moods were an expression of the battles she felt within her and at the age of seventeen she had become more comfortable with herself and the weapons she fought those battles with. Even adding others to the pallet to better express her moods; a visually shouted warning to everyone, particularly her friends, so they knew what they were dealing with.

Today it was all aggression. All attack. And, curiously, an invitation to counter attack.

_Oh dear,_ she thought, thinking of the hapless, unknowing boy Rika was heading for, completely ignorant of what was coming his way.

**###**

_Stupid Gogglehead…_

The old, semi-derisive, semi-affectionate nickname for her much-cared for friend, Takato Matsuki echoed through Rika Nonaka's head as she made her way down the familiar paths on her way to the boy's home. Her heart and stomach were both a knot of tension that she struggled to ignore, leaving her to scowl angrily at her feet, as though blaming them for continuing to move in spite of her misgivings. Of course, she knew she couldn't blame them for a decision she herself made and committed herself to seeing through to its end. What would the point be if she refused to turn back after all? Especially when she would only end up blaming herself for not showing bravery and commitment?

A Tamer never walked away from danger after all. That was what she told herself so many times as a child, back when her adventures first began, and she held to that philosophy now. So instead of pinning the blame on her feet for ignoring her heart, she instead placed it on Takato, who made her heart flutter with all the anxiety and anger that caused her to make her decision in the first place.

_Stupid…Gogglehead! _she repeated, kicking at the ground as she continued on. _You _had _to do this to me!_

Her scowl deepened noticeably, causing a passerby to shrink away with a frightened look, but she ignored them, focusing instead on the path ahead of her and the task she set for herself. It would be a difficult one. Perhaps the most difficult she had set for herself to date, or at least one of the most difficult. Certainly not as hard as saving the world from an all-destroying computer program, but she liked to see them as being on equal footing. She wasn't good when it came to matters such as this. She tended to prefer a solitary life after all, so making room for matters such as love was a bit of a big step for her, and for someone as fumble footed and fumble _mouthed _as Takato of all people, it was an even bigger one.

_Just…tread carefully, _she told herself, closing her eyes briefly and taking a deep breath. _It's not like the two of you haven't hung out with just one another before._

Except she knew it wasn't as simple as just 'hanging out.' She intended to ask Takato out on a date. What they would do on such a date she didn't know. She just knew she wanted to give it a try with him and to see if their relationship could become a little deeper than what it already was now.

_It's no big deal, _she told herself. _He's available. Has been for years, and he likes hanging out with me, so this'll be just more of the same thing we've already been doing, only…more so._

She frowned worriedly and her hands tightened into hard fists. Attempting to ignore this, she shoved her hands into her pockets, hoping to appear casual.

_What if he says no, though? What happens after that?_

She wasn't one to believe Takato wouldn't want to see her ever again, nor was she the type to fall apart over the possibility that Takato might not want to be in a relationship with her, but she worried at the possibility of the former becoming a reality no matter what reality did to prove otherwise. She was…prickly to say the least. Her first encounter with Takato was a disaster and the second one even more so. Even after she became less hostile, she would consistently needle him about every little thing in his struggling attempts to figure out how to be a good Tamer for his digimon partner, Guilmon, and though she lightened up significantly since their becoming friends, the boy had the tendency to unintentionally jab himself on one of her thorns. There would be no question that would continue to be the case in a relationship. Would he want to put up with that? Did he still somehow hold a grudge against her because of the past?

She took a deep breath to steady herself, doing her best to ignore the anxious fluttering of her heart. She had discussed this with Jeri and went through her feelings enough times that she knew that ultimately there was nothing to do except either continue to bottle up how she felt so as to keep things as they currently were or to risk taking the plunge. She also knew that, historically, she didn't fair so well with keeping things bottled up which caused friction with people she cared about.

_Not much in the way of choice, is there? Well, however the dice falls, I won't let this ruin our friendship. I don't think he would either, but I'll fight to keep it in case things don't work out. _

Fighting. That instilled a fire in her, and she nodded to herself with renewed confidence. Fighting was something she could understand, and she understood it far more easily than her own feelings. She cared about Takato, which was easy enough for her, but the desire to hold him or share his presence more closely…considerably less so. Fighting for something at least gave her a clearer sense of what she needed to do, and there was, of course, the challenge. If this were a game, she would almost welcome it just for the difficulty it represented.

Of course, as Jeri pointed out, trying to get Takato to be interested in her or figure out how to confront him on her own terms when it came to romancing him was its own fight. _Almost _a game.

_Too bad the tools aren't more my style, _she thought, glancing downward at the opening to her shirt and the slight, sensual curve of her chest that just barely peeked out over the top. She frowned again, not sure if going down to his place in such a manner had been the right decision. Not even Jeri or her own mother offered such advice.

_Subtle… _she thought sarcastically, wondering if it was too much. _Well, I wanted to be direct, and that's one way of being direct. I just hope I don't have to spell it out for him too much. Ugh… This is so stupid…_

Still, if she was going to do this, she was going to play for _keeps._

**###**

She arrived at the Matsuki Bakery and felt her heart quicken its pace almost immediately, filling her with fear. Sensing this, Renamon phased into view next to her, a look of concern on her face.

"Rika?" she prompted, placing a paw on Rika's shoulder, only for the girl to lower her head, like a bull preparing to charge, and start forward, her expression one of annoyance at herself.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered, more to herself than to her digimon partner. Renamon watched her go for a moment before following after her. Guilmon was outside the front, wearing an advertisement for the now local favorite – and Guilmon's personal favorite – Guilmon Bread, singing loudly what was now the classic song of the Matsuki Bakery.

_"Guilmon Bread! Come eat Guilmon Bread! A loaf of bread that's shaped like my head!" _The dinosaur paused in the waving of his large arms and sniffed the air, having suddenly caught their scent. His eyes fell on them within short order and a wide smile split across the dinosaur's face.

"Rika! Renamon! Hiii!"

"Hello, Guilmon," Renamon greeted, the pair of them drawing to a halt.

"Dinoboy," Rika nodded. "How's life as a walking advertisement?"

"Fun!" Guilmon chirped, his tail wagging happily. "I make so many people happy when they see me! Especially kids! They all say they want to have a digimon just like me someday!"

"Yeah, that's going to be kind of tough," Rika said with a touch of amusement. "You're kind of just one right now, and I don't think anyone could make a copy of you."

"Maybe Takato can scan his drawing of me to make more Guilmon's?" Guilmon suggested, tapping his claw thoughtfully. "Although… If he does that, then they might end up being his partner instead of someone else's." He paused, frowning slightly as his ears twitched. "Can a Tamer have other digimon as partners?"

_I sure hope not, _Rika thought, glancing over at Renamon, who, upon catching that the girl was watching her, smiled softly, already guessing what was on her mind. _I wouldn't want to have anyone but Renamon as my partner._

"Try not to think about it too hard, or else you'll make your brain smoke," she said instead, patting Guilmon on the head. "Speaking of the Gogglehead, where is he? Inside?"

"I think he's on break right now," Guilmon replied. "So, he should be up in his room."

_Upstairs, huh? _Rika's eyes turned toward the alley, finding Takato's father there, washing out containers. A small smile curved at the corners of her mouth as a thought occurred to her and she gave Guilmon's ears a good scratching, causing the dinosaur to lean into her hand, eyes rolled up in a sudden burst of utter bliss.

"Ohhh… That's nice… Thanks, Rika."

"You're welcome," Rika chuckled, soon retracting her hand and starting down towards the alley. "Have fun, Guilmon."

"I will!" Guilmon called back at his departing friends, giving his head a little shake before waving goodbye. Entering into the alley, doing her best to appear as cool and casual as possible. As she drew near however, it suddenly occurred to her that she would be standing in front of Takato's father wearing a rather revealing T-shirt. She paused, wondering if maybe her idea would be better served being ditched and instead go through his mother before deciding that, no matter what, either one of them would be equally as bad.

_Stupid… I should have just called him, _she thought, stuffing her hands in her pockets to hide her growing nervousness before launching herself into the abyss. "Morning Mr. Matsuki!"

Takehiro's head swung about from his work and smiled upon seeing who it was.

"Morning, Rika," he greeted, turning away briefly to resume his work. "Here to see, Takato?"

"Yeah," she said. "Figured I'd see if I could take him off your hands for a little bit. It's been a while. Is that okay?"

Her fingers felt as though they were glued to each other as her muscles steeled themselves. Distractedly, her eyes flitted up to the metal 'porch' overhanging them that led to the second – and largest – of Takato's two bedroom windows.

"Yeah, it's no problem," Takehiro replied, leaning back and wiping an arm across his brow. "He's all caught up with his chores so I think you can borrow him." Turning around, he grinned. "Just make sure you bring him home before curfew."

"With his luck, I'm more worried about bringing him home in one piece, but I'll do what I can," Rika laughed, ignoring the nervous twitter in her voice before turning toward Renamon indicatively. The kitsune held out her arms and the girl stepped into them. A second later, they teleported up in front of Takato's window, and Rika breathed a sigh of relief.

"All right…" she said under her breath, steeling herself once more. "Now for the Gogglehead."

She spotted him seated at his desk, back turned to her, which was good. She wanted to have the advantage here and take him unawares. This wasn't her usual mode of entry into his home, though in retrospect she found herself rather liking the idea of just dropping in right outside his room and…

She frowned, her fist hesitating in the beginnings of a knock on the glass as something caught her attention. _What's he doing?_

She saw him clearly, even with the glare of the sun on the surface of the glass, one hand between his legs and moving rhythmically with his pants pulled down slightly. His teeth were clenched against one another tightly and his head was bowed. His hand was moving faster with every passing second and his hips shifted, revealing the swollen head of his erection.

"Oh my…" said Renamon next to her, having determined the nature of Takato's activity a second before Rika, who was still staring in utter stupefaction at the sight she was witness too. Takato leaned back in his chair, thrusting his hips upward to maximize his pleasure and then let out a groan that Rika could hear through the window. His head rolled back and…

…caught sight of Rika and Renamon at the window just as his penis jerked and pulsed, sending a stream of white semen spilling out onto the floor.

Takato yelled out in horror and scrambled away from the sight of the window, knocking his chair over in the process and almost tripping over it in the process. Blushing furiously, Rika jerked herself back to attention, but not before catching sight of Takato's rapidly shrinking erection as it swung in front of her, all sense of fun and eagerness vanishing in one fell swoop. Rika fell back against the railing, eyes wide in shock. Renamon turned toward her, her expression full of concern.

"Perhaps we should come back at a later date…?" she offered, but Rika shook her head fiercely.

"No! No… I mean…" She winced, hearing something crash inside, followed by another yelp. "A Tamer never walks away from danger, so…no point putting this off. I'll just…wing it."

_I _really _should have called him…_ she thought, her eyes falling on Takato's upturned chair.

Renamon frowned, appearing confused. "He doesn't _appear _to be dangerous at the moment, though I'd hesitate to consider dancing with him in his present frame of mind."

Rika's eyes flashed and she shot a sharp look at her partner.

"You're _not _dancing with him."

Renamon gave a light laugh. "Protective of him, aren't we?"

"I… You… _Renamon!"_

Huffing in annoyance, Rika folded her arms about her waist and looked down at the soft curve of her cleavage – bright red as her blush had rushed downward – as it peaked out from the top of her shirt, giving a _hello _of sorts to her. A rather aggressive hello she intended for the boy of her heart.

And now things between them were going to be _awkward._

_Typical… _she thought, closing her eyes and feeling the burning of her skin while her heart thudded loudly beneath her breasts. _Well, at least we're 'goggleheading' this up now. Maybe that's a good sign for later._

Images of Takato's penis flashed across her vision and she tightened her grip about herself, her tension rising once more. She had seen Takato's penis. She had _seen _it! Renamon's suggestion about taking this up at a later time came to mind, but it was already far too late to change her mind now.

Not that she would. She had her pride after all.

Takato rushed back into view, eyes wide and face pale. She gave him a sympathetic look as he pulled the window open.

"Uh… R-Rika! Ah… Um…" His gaze faltered on her violet eyes, finding them difficult to face, knowing what she just witnessed, and fell away, only to jerk back up as they found themselves dropping into the girl's open shirt. His expression as he forced himself to maintain eye contact said it all.

_Ahhh…nuts._

_ Like a cornered mouse, _she thought, her lips thinning out as she pressed them against one another tightly. Renamon looked back and forth between the two.

"Well… I see that the two of you have some things to discuss, so I'll leave you to it."

With that, she vanished, and the two teens found themselves alone, both blushing profusely.

"S-Sorry about that," Takato stammered out. "I… Um…" He paused, seemed to start to say something, only to stop and press a hand against his face before stepping to the side. "Do you want to come inside? Ah…! Wait, no, that's probably a bad idea! I mean… After what you…" He coughed and shakily ran a hand through his hair, trying desperately to collect his thoughts. "Rika… I-I didn't mean for you…"

Oh, he was badly shaken, and why shouldn't he be? He had accidently exposed himself in front of one of his best friends. In front of _her _no less. Used as he was with accidently embarrassing himself in front of others, he tended to get mentally jostled when that sort of thing happened, and this was…_far _worse than usual. No doubt he was hoping for a hole to appear from out of nowhere and swallow him up so his misery could be ended once and for all.

Rika paused on that, realizing the double meaning of that imagery and wishing that she hadn't.

"Takato," she said simply, cutting off his inane babbling and causing the teen to freeze in place uncertainly. She could already guess what was going on in his mind. Long association told her that he was expecting a pummeling. Why this was at times confused her, as she never hit him once since they became friends. Yelled at him for sure, more than his fair share – his tendency to put his foot in his mouth and embarrass her had in years past, triggered her already hair-fine temper – but never had she hit him before.

She wasn't going to start now over something that, technically speaking, wasn't even his fault to begin with.

Rika pushed off the railing and took a step forward. Takato reflexively drew back, his eyes visibly struggling to maintain their connection with her violet gaze. At least, right up until he bumped into the glass window, forcing him to look away briefly to check himself. Her heart thrumming dangerously loud in her chest, Rika stepped closer, practically cornering him. Both their faces were bright red now.

"Grab your things and meet me outside," she said simply, whirling away and starting toward the railing. "I'm taking you out."

Takato blinked, utterly confused all of a sudden. "Wait, you're what?"

She could understand his bewilderment. This clearly wasn't in the script. Not that she was running on any at all. Her heart was beating so loud she could hear it in her eardrums. What _was _she doing?! Her hands shook slightly as she took hold of the metal banister.

"Just meet me out by Guilmon." Rika climbed over the railing and looked at him, eyes hard. A smirk played along her face that somehow managed to hide the anxiety she felt drumming throughout her body. "And wear a belt. I want to be _seen _with you in public after all."

With that, she slid off the railing, the yellow blur of Renamon catching hold of her as she did so, leaving a stupefied Takato to question his sanity.

Rika could sympathize. She was more than willing to question hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Takehiro slipped back inside the bakery, and poked his head into the store section where Mie currently stood manning the cash register, a grin forming on his face. He took a quick look about, and upon finding that the store was currently empty, stepped toward her.

"Hey," he said, and upon seeing him, the round-faced woman raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" she asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips at the sight of his grin.

"Just saw Rika," he replied, his eyes flicking toward the stairs behind him that led up to the living quarters of their business. "I think she's finally about to make a move on our boy."

At that, Mie glanced upward, a worried look swiftly erasing her smile. As if to give credence to her concerns, there came an abrupt yell of surprise followed by a swift crash, causing Mie to jump in surprise.

"Are you _sure _about that?" she asked a little louder than she intended. "It almost sounds like she's trying to beat him up."

Takehiro gave a light chuckle and shook his head, though he had to admit he was starting to share her concerns as well. The loud _thump _followed by a pained exclamation did little to alleviate this. Takato, he knew, had the tendency to prick himself on Rika's thorns unintentionally. Still, he knew that she never struck him or did anything other than yell when she actually lost her temper. He couldn't imagine the boy doing anything so terrible that Rika to go any further than a simple raising of the volume.

"I'm sure he just got surprised," he replied. "Renamon took Rika up to his window after all."

_Although the noise _does _make a compelling argument…_ he added mentally, straining his hearing for any further sounds of trouble. Presently, he detected none.

"I don't know if I like this," Mie said, her expression troubled.

"Hey, we knew it had to happen sooner or later," Takehiro grinned again at her. "Those two have been dancing around each other for years and they _are _getting older."

"I know," Mie sighed, turning away and distractedly checking her receipts. "I'm being a worry-wart. As far as I'm concerned, he's _still _my baby no matter how many times he's helped save the world. And Rika…"

She grimaced, her hand coming to rest on the counter. Seeing this, Takehiro brought his hand over hers, his fingers tenderly massaging it.

"What's wrong with Rika?" he prompted. "I know she's a bit rough around the edges, but I thought you liked her. You're always saying how she helps keep Takato focused."

"I _do _like her! It's just…" She paused, worrying her lips against one another, trying to find the right words to say what was on her mind. The differences in their social statuses – the daughter of a wealthy, world-renown model and the son of bakers – often sat in the back of her mind, leaving her with a kind of anxiety about how others would look at them, but she mostly left such concerns alone, as the two teens didn't appear to be the least bit bothered by such things. Rika especially didn't seem to care which was enough in her mind, and if Takato did, he never gave any indication.

There was something else though that sat closer to the forefront of her mind. Something that she couldn't quite define, though it always sat on the tip of her tongue. Raising her eyes toward the outside of the bakery, she saw Renamon light on the ground next to Guilmon and deposit the redheaded girl on the ground. She winced upon seeing her stance; the almost commanding way she held herself. The clothes she wore…

And just like that, Mie felt the puzzle click into place and she had her answer.

"Don't you think she's a little bit _too _mature for him?"

Takehiro cocked an eyebrow at this, puzzled. "I thought they were the same age."

"Don't be dense," she said with a frown, swatting her husband on the arm. "That's not what I meant. Haven't you seen how she acts around Takato? How she dresses?"

Takehiro scratched at the corner of his chin, suddenly looking embarrassed. "Well… Her shirt is certainly…_new._ But it's rather warm outside, so…"

"Fine, I get it," Mie huffed, understanding that Takehiro didn't want to suggest he noticed anything particularly noteworthy about Rika's current revealing getup. "Anyway, I'm not saying Rika's a bad girl or anything, but she always makes me think that she just…_knows _more about certain things, and Takato…"

There came a rapid series of thumps now as Takato hurried down the stairs, interrupting her thoughts. His expression was one of crimson panic as he fumbled to get his feet into his battered shoes. Mie winced again. The contrast between her son and Rumiko's daughter couldn't have been more obvious. Takato's shoes were at least a little over a year old and well-worn and his hair, as it always had been since childhood, was an untamed mass of brown. Rika's hair by comparison was neat and straight and never seemed to have a loose strand, and her clothes were often new and of some expensive brand name. He couldn't offer her anything that she couldn't get herself. So what did Rika _see _in him?

"Heading out, Takato?" Takehiro called as the teen finished lacing up his shoes. The brown-haired boy's crimson eyes swung up towards them and, after a moment of looking bashful, rose and stepped into the store area.

"Y-Yeah," he stammered out. "Rika…" He coughed, looking as though he were having a hard time meeting their eyes for a moment before continuing. "She says she wants to hang out and…um… I need to talk to her about…stuff."

The crimson flood in his face deepened, leaving Mie and Takehiro to exchange looks again before returning their attention to their chaotic son.

"Well, don't let us keep you," Takehiro chuckled, stepping away from Mie and clapping the boy on the shoulder. "Just remember to be home at a decent hour and if you can't make it in time, give us a call, okay?"

"Right," Takato bobbed his head up and down, a smile forcing its way onto his lips. Mie noted that they didn't touch his eyes however. As usual, he was fretting about something. No doubt about Rika finally making her move and finding himself uncertain as to how to handle her feelings. Once more, her worries welled up in her chest and she found herself all but beating them back with a rolling pin.

_She won't take advantage of him, _she told herself. Rika, she knew, was more respectable than that, and Takato, for all the criticism she levied on him about having his head up in the clouds, was a lot more mature and attentive than she gave him credit for and a fair amount of good judgment. He went to the digital world to save a friend knowing full well the stakes that were on the line; not even knowing if he would come back alive from that alien world. Surely Rika wouldn't be any more dangerous than that even if she did intend anything harmful. And she _did _like the girl, so what was the harm?

_I really should be more supportive of them if they want to start having a relationship,_ she told herself. With that in mind, she planted her hands on her hips and gave her son a stern look.

"Honestly, Takato. Don't you have anything _better _to wear if you're going out with her?"

The blush that stood out on Takato's face only deepened as he shot a look in Rika's direction, the girl checking her phone with an impatient look on her face.

"Sorry, Mom. I've got to go. Rika… She's waiting for me."

Mei sighed and shook her head. Well, it was worth a shot. _Maybe next time. Provided that there even _is _a next time._

"All right. Take care of yourself out there."

At this, Takato smiled, his eyes flicking over uncertainly toward Rika once more before hurrying in her direction, giving a quick wave of goodbye. Mie watched him go, folding her arms together.

_My little boy… _she thought, pressing her lips together. _I hope you know what you're getting yourselves into._

**###**

Takato had no clue what he was about to get into, and as a result, he was half in a panic.

Normally, he looked forward to hanging out with Rika. Years ago, she was someone he looked up to and wanted to be friends with, but at the start of their connection as Tamers, she rarely gave him the time of day and for a time after becoming associates, no more of it than was necessary. Rika, then as now, was one of few words and those she did have were often laced with criticism for what she perceived to be the cavalier attitude she saw Takato take to taming Guilmon. She had lightened up considerably since then, and as they advanced into high school, finding increasing difficulty when it came to hanging out with any of their friends, they clung to each other all the more tightly. Not at first – Rika initially keeping herself as busy as she often could to distract herself from the declining bonds – but slowly, over time, at Renamon's urging and Takato's persistence, they found ways to work around their tight schedules for 'mandatory hangouts,' as Rika called them.

It wasn't always the two of them, but of late it seemed as though they found more time with each other than anyone else, and so they made the best of it that they could.

And all because of a dream.

Takato couldn't argue that his life took some strange turns at times, pushing him in odd directions or prodding him into another. Certainly none of his friends – Rika least of all – would argue against the idea that this was a sign that the universe saw him as its personal chew toy, as it often seemed to be having fun at the situations he found himself in, such as the one that Rika quite literally landed in herself just scant minutes ago. He hated that. Hated that he always seemed to trip into trouble around her; embarrassing her or making her mad. Why she kept him around honestly left him baffled, though, truth be told, he found himself grateful for her never ending well of patience or whatever it was that kept her coming back.

He paused at the doors of the bakery and they slid open. Warm air wafted over him and his eyes fell on the fire-haired girl. He swallowed, feeling heat burning his cheeks once more and his heart skipped a beat uncertainly about what to expect, but nevertheless was determined to meet it – and die – as bravely as possible. His friendship for Rika demanded that he do no less for her.

_If only I could do more to make her happy, _he thought, his expression softening as his eyes touched her face.

_"Takato!" _called out his mother, causing the boy to jerk in place with a surprised yelp that caught Rika's attention. _"Either go out or stay in! But whatever you do, don't let any flies in here, do you understand?"_

"Sorry!" Hurriedly, Takato started forward, hurrying over to his friend at a rapid pace. He attempted to school his face into something approaching casual, but the memory from his bedroom ensured that he would fail at this without a doubt.

_Just be calm. Just be calm. Just be calm… _he told himself over and over as Rika pocketed her phone, offering him a small smile upon seeing him, a light blush rising to her cheeks. Takato bit the inside of his cheek at that. No doubt she was thinking about his little 'show' from his room.

"Hey, Takato," Guilmon beamed, turning toward him. "Are we going to…?"

"I'm being calm!" Takato interrupted, finding himself jarred out of his thoughts by Guilmon's question. The crimson dinosaur blinked in confusion.

"Um… Okay?" he replied.

_Oh man… _Takato blushed furiously. Approaching Guilmon, Renamon patted the dinosaur on the head.

"It's all right, Guilmon," the vulpine digimon said. "He was a little surprised earlier." Her azure gaze met Takato's crimson ones, and for a wonder, Takato found a trace of sympathy in them. "It seems he still hasn't quite gotten over it yet."

"Not like I can blame him," Rika muttered under her breath. Renamon gave a light chuckle before turning to Guilmon.

"Why don't we give them some time alone today?" she suggested. "I think they will need the solitude. If you'd like, I'll…play with you."

"Hah?" Guilmon's eyes widened at this. "You'll…play? With me? But you _never _want to play."

"I'm willing to make an exception this time. If that's all right with you."

The way she said that left Takato with the distinct impression that she was talking to all three of them, and Takato found himself nodding exuberantly while Rika merely shrugged nonchalantly, arms hugging about her sides tightly. Takato found his gaze drop down to them, noticing, seemingly for the first time, that she had gone sleeveless for a change, not something she normally did on sunny days like today. He looked up at Rika questioningly, and she frowned, having spotted where his eyes had gone and adjusted her arms accordingly, attempting to hide their nakedness behind each other.

"We'll be close by in case a Wild One shows up," she said to her partner, and Renamon nodded before turning toward Guilmon.

"In that case, are you ready?"

Guilmon looked at the two teens with concern before tugging off the sign for the bakery. "Sure," he said after a moment, handing the bakery sign off to Takato. "What kind of game would you like to play?"

"How about…hide and seek?" Renamon smiled before vanishing from view.

"Ohhh… My favorite!" Guilmon laughed before waving to Takato and Rika. "Have fun!"

"You too, boy," Takato waved back, his voice cracking a little. He cursed himself for how he sounded. Puberty, it seemed, was still not being kind to him on that score.

The pair were left standing in the street, an awkward silence filling the air as Takato watched Guilmon hurry off. Both clearly wanted to break the ice, but neither one seemed to know where to begin.

"Hey," she began at almost exactly the same time he did, and the two of them paused, staring at each other, waiting for the other to say whatever they had on their mind. After a moment of nothing, they began again.

"Takato…"

"Listen, Rika…"

Again, another pause as they found themselves speaking over one another simultaneously, and this time Rika frowned.

"Should I let you start so we can get you tripping over your words out of the way?" she asked, her small smile becoming something of a warning smirk. She adjusted her footing and shifted her arms over her chest, forming, to Takato's mind, a makeshift barrier against his gaze. Takato swallowed. There was _no _way this conversation was going to go well. Especially since she was wearing red, a combative color he knew she wore when she was in an angry mood.

_Just think of it like jumping into an ice-cold bath, _he told himself. _The sooner you get it over with, the better._

"Uh… About what you saw…"

"Ugh… Stop."

"But… Rika…"

"I mean just _stop. _We're not talking about this _here."_ Her violet eyes flashed as she took a step towards him, her tone dropping, but losing none of its intensity. "Do you _really _want to have this discussion in public?" Her cheeks darkening, she impulsively unfolded her arms and snagged hold of one of the boy's hands, squeezing _hard, _as if by doing so she could get his mind to buy itself its much-needed clue.

Which, fortunately, he did.

**###**

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"I figured you would be. I don't know why though. It's not like you were doing anything wrong."

Rika pretended to ignore Takato's sidelong glance as they strolled through the park. The crowds here were much thinner, allowing them a certain degree of privacy that they could depend on. Scratching the back of his head, Takato furrowed his brow.

"You're…taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

Rika _harrumphed _at that.

"You're a _boy,_ Takato. I'd be surprised if you _weren't _doing that sort of thing." Unconsciously, she again folded her arms across her chest. Scowling at herself as she realized what she was doing, she undid that and stuffed her hands into her pockets. Images of Takato's penis shooting its sperm onto his floor flashed through her mind, and she found herself becoming far, _far _too aware of her open bosom and how she had it exposed for his viewing. "Besides…" she continued, her face flushing again. "It's not like I haven't done that kind of thing either."

At that admission, Takato again blushed hard and quickly averted his eyes from her, not trusting them to stay focused on her face. Unfortunately for him, his imagination, curse as it was, took her words and immediately began to form an image of his friend, seated in her room, hand dipping between her legs as he had been earlier. Finding himself suddenly growing hard, he groaned and pressed his face into his hand, earning him a quizzical eyebrow.

"What?"

"N-Nothing," he stammered out. "Just…awkwardness. Of all the conversations I thought we would have I can honestly say that I never thought this would be one of them."

"Does that include conversations where I ask you out on a date?"

Takato stumbled at that, his foot unexpectedly finding itself getting caught on its own shadow.

"Guess not." Rika sighed while Takato righted himself, fighting against the urge once more to cross her arms together. Pausing in her stride, she looked skyward, her eyes softening. Takato turned towards her, detecting a strange note in her voice.

_Is she…disappointed?_

It seemed impossible. He didn't think Rika was interested in him. His heart often dreamt about it, but she presented no outward sign that such was the case. At least none that he could be certain of.

But could he trust his memory? He wracked his brains for something – anything – that might have suggested otherwise before quickly deciding that perhaps he was overthinking things.

"Well…" he began carefully. "It…actually has, but…um…"

He trailed off, and Rika turned back toward him, her expression sullen.

"I'm not going to like this 'but' am I?"

_Today really, _really _sucks to me right now, _Takato groaned inwardly. He felt as though he was standing on thin ice with his friend.

_What am I supposed to do here? She's always liked me for my honesty, but that's also what keeps getting me into trouble with her!_

He thought back to all the times he had complimented her clothes; starting with the first time in the tunnels, when they were journeying to battle the psychotic program known as the D-Reaper. It had been more of an accident then and he hadn't intended to tell her that he thought her new shirt looked good on her, but she dragged the confession out of him and inadvertently gave him permission to do so, something she never granted him previously and _never _gave to anyone else since aside from her own family. He had stepped warily when doing so, but every so often she put something on that took him by surprise, causing his mouth to disengage from his brain and act on its own accord.

Something that for quite some time resulted in mutual embarrassment and awkward silences before she would mutter a blushing 'thanks.'

Still, she valued his honesty, and with a deep breath, he took the plunge.

"Well… I know you don't like me dreaming about you…"

Rika stiffened at that and once more her cheeks blossomed bright red. She quickly looked away.

"S-Sorry…" he began, only for Rika to cut across his words as they began to spill out.

"That's natural though, right?"

"Huh?"

Rika shifted, her eyes falling towards her shoes. "You dreaming about me. That's natural, isn't it? I mean… You're a boy and…"

"W-W-Wha…?!" Takato gasped for air in shock. "You think I'm…?"

"What _other _kinds of dreams would you be having about me?" Rika demanded heatedly, her eyes narrowing. "Your old enough, aren't you?"

_This is…not how I thought this would go, _Takato thought, his mind awhirl with confusion over Rika's reaction. Her eyes were bright, angry, and rather frazzled, something he had seen an uncountable number of times over the years whenever she became unsettled by something and was desperate to try and cover it. Was that what was happening here? Or…?

Deciding to let the thought go, Takato opted to simply run with the flow of conversation. Worst case scenario, she would punch him and maybe have Renamon load his data.

"Yeah, but… I mean… Not… Not _those _kinds!" He held up his hands in a placating gesture, not even bothering to explain what he meant by 'those kinds.' "I swear! I don't even think about you when I'm…" He coughed. "…you know."

_Oh man… Kill me now…_

Humiliation ran thick in Takato's blood right now. "I just…wouldn't feel right about doing that and… Ah, jeez…" He ran a hand through the thick mop of his hair, trying desperately to concentrate so he could say the right things that would make everything better. As things stood, he felt as though he were doing more harm than good. _Talking about whether or not you masturbated to one of your best friends? Or had wet dreams about them? Who does that sort of thing? I mean, besides us right now I mean…_

"B-But…I have sometimes dreamt about the two of us…together. Like we're watching a movie and…stuff."

Rika was silent for a moment, eyes on him. "Stuff?" she finally asked.

Takato blanched now. Was she _really _disappointed in his lack of thought about the two of them dating? His mind immediately began to backtrack on that.

"N-Nothing big, really…"

"Takato. If you don't define 'stuff' I'm going to start thinking that you're dreaming something about me a little more naughty than what you were doing in your room, so out with it!"

_Today _really _sucks to me right now…_

"You know." Takato shrugged uselessly, too embarrassed to say it out loud. "Corny stuff."

"Like what?" Rika took her hands out of her pockets again and folded them together, this time however beneath her breasts, making no effort to hide her cleavage now. "Me resting my head on your shoulder or something? The two of us holding hands?"

The crawling flood of crimson on Takato's face spoke volumes. She cocked her head in contemplation, thinking his unspoken admission over as she held his gaze. He didn't flinch or look away, though it was clear he found it difficult to do so, having always had a hard time matching her intense scrutiny. In spite of herself, Rika felt a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips before she giggled.

"Wow. _Takato. _Aren't you pretty wild?"

"Hey!" Takato squirmed at this, flustered. "I told you it was corny!"

"Not to mention mushy," Rika laughed, turning away and resuming their walk. "I suppose it was some lovesick movie we were watching in your dreams? Maybe I should take you to watch a horror film instead! Forget handholding, you'd be _dying_ for a hug then. You want to get a teddy bear before we get there, Gogglehead?"

Takato frowned, feeling a slight touch of annoyance at her teasing, but opting to let it pass without comment. Instead he fell into step beside her, eyeing her quizzically. "Is that what you wanted to do today? Catch a movie?"

Rika looked disappointed that he wasn't rising to her poking fun at him, but she shrugged. "I…actually haven't given it much thought," she admitted, a note of embarrassment in her voice. "But…sure?" She looked back at him, her eyes softer now, searching his. "I just really wanted to hang out with you today and…" She chewed her lower lip for a moment before continuing. "…and I wanted to see if you would call it a date."

Takato found himself becoming aware of the wind playing across the park, causing the tree branches to sway slightly, leaves rustling in unison. He felt his heart skip a beat. She…She was _serious? _Even after what she saw him doing?

"Are you sure?"

Rika gave him hard, angry scowl. "Gogglehead, do you _really _think I'd be _asking _if I _wasn't?" _

"Well, if not that, you'd probably be yelling at me and dragging me to the theater. You know, after you've knocked me out and thrown me over your shoulder."

"I'm _not _laughing at that, _Gogglehead."_

"Sorry. I was just trying to… Never mind." His expression softened and he offered her a small, comforting smile. "I did want to make sure though. I mean, I am a Gogglehead after all."

Rika's silence hung upon the air as she frowned at him. After a moment, she spoke again.

"You've got that right at least. Now if we're _done _here…" Unfolding her arms, she reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist. Almost immediately, she began to storm off, dragging the squawking, surprised boy behind her.

"Ah! Rika, what are you…?"

"I'm dragging you to the theater, Gogglehead! What's it look like I'm doing? Now keep up! If you fall, I'm going to be _really _mad if you drag me down with you!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Takato laughed bewilderedly as he found his feet and did his best to keep pace with the swift girl in what was, without a doubt, the strangest beginning to a relationship he had ever heard of.


	3. Chapter 3

The theater, it turned out, was not a film, but rather the Noh theater that Rika went with her grandmother to see from time to time going as far back to her early childhood. Slow paced, low tech and hardly a single convincing costume in sight, yet steeped with an air of a far older world where magic and gods ruled alongside the sword. Rika often found herself unsure of what to make of Noh plays, but they held a certain nostalgia for her that sat well with her mind and even helped her at various points to understand a few things about herself and those she allowed into her life, so she didn't turn away from them, though she didn't visit them as much as she did in her youth.

Today she came here not to find some revelation or solace in nostalgia, but rather to buy herself time to figure out what to do with the relationship she now found herself in.

_I sure didn't expect him to be okay with this,_ she thought, watching the actor steadily creep forward from the far end of the stage. _But then, nothing about today has been at all what I expected._

She snuck a glance at Takato, memories of her earlier intrusion on his privacy intruding on her mind. He had relaxed a little since then, the quiet of the play coupled with her lack of explosive temper helping him settle down from his earlier freak out, which was good. A tense Takato had the tendency to stick his foot in his mouth. While he was cute when flustered, it wasn't what she would call a good time when she hadn't been the one to deliberately instigate it. She didn't like the chaotic tension that created as it left her with a feeling of not being in control in such situations. Managing Takato's embarrassments for her benefit whenever she wanted to see him get flustered was much preferable.

She simply didn't like being taken by surprise.

She glanced back at the play, trying to ignore the memory of Takato's orgasming penis spilling its contents onto the floor of his room. Red crept into her cheeks and she shifted her seating, once more becoming aware of her open bosom where, much to her growing distress, she began to imagine her breasts being covered in his seed like in the doujinshi's that Jeri lent her on occasion. She resisted the urge to wipe away the imaginary sperm from her chest and shifted the again, cursing her imagination for going in such directions. Why was she even _thinking _about that in the first place?

Of course, she knew why. One of her flaws was her tendency to avoid answers to questions when she knew she hated them. The thought had come about because it had been the first time she had seen a penis outside of Jeri's collection of porn or the snippets Kazu snuck in to their get-togethers. And, perhaps most importantly, it was _Takato's _penis. She saw it again in her mind's eye, pulsing in his hands as milky-white fluid spilled past the mushroom-shaped tip and down its length towards the floor. It looked so…strange. Almost alien in fact, like another entity attached to her friend, and it was…swollen. Stiff. _Primed_ for sex.

_That's something couples do…isn't it, _she found herself thinking. Curious, she imagined herself cupping him now, testing to see if his erection hurt. _Did _it hurt? It didn't seem to from what she saw and read, but its complete and total alien shape made her wonder. She couldn't help but admit being curious_._

The problem was, just thinking about it got her curiosity – and by extension, her imagination – going in ways that left an excited, pleasant ache inside her. Her body flushed and she shifted in her seat, a mistake that she paid for with a satisfied pulsing between her legs as the friction of her movement graced the hidden pearl of her clitoris. She shuddered, closing her eyes against the momentary relief it brought, only for a pleasurable tightness to sink into the core of her being, sitting expectantly in her chest…waiting eagerly for more.

_Great. Just great, _she groaned mentally, folding her arms about herself, feeling herself pulse and throb, a dim, yet fiery need, like fingers, digging deep and pushing up into her before spreading its roots outward. Like what to do on their date, this was something she hadn't considered either. It seemed she had only gotten as far in her planning as seeing if Takato was interested in her and now that she confirmed that he was – his dreaming about _holding hands_ with her felt like a strong indicator – she didn't know what to do. What sort of things _did _couples do? Frowning, she ran down the mental checklist of what she knew about couples and what they did on dates.

_Go out and watch movies, eat expensive dinners, kiss, make out and have sex… _She paused in her listing at that last one and felt a fire flash through her and the needy warmth suddenly felt a little hotter. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered and shifted uncomfortably again.

"Um… Are you okay, Rika?" Takato's whisper broke across her thoughts, causing the girl to jump and blush _hard _in the darkness of the theater.

"I'm _fine!" _she whispered back, tightening her arms about herself. Lifting an eyebrow, Takato looked at her skeptically before reaching down to the hem of his short-sleeved hoodie and for a fraction of a second, Rika had the nightmarish image of him stripping down, preparing to put out the fire that she felt burning within her. In that instant, she imagined him climbing on top of her, his loving, concerned face smiling reassuringly as his penis swung into view and pressed between her legs questioningly; her jeans providing a barrier that could be removed if only she gave the word.

Rika found herself horrified at the sudden rush of excitement that flushed along her body and she snapped back to reality, killing the momentary daydream.

"What are you _doing?!" _she hissed with a start as his hoodie slipped past his shoulders, revealing the white, t-shirt he wore underneath. In response, Takato handed her his hoodie, smiling warmly at her.

"Well, I saw you shivering, so I thought maybe you would like something to help you keep warm. I know you don't like the cold and it _is _kind of chilly in here."

Rika stared at Takato, dumbfounded while between her legs, a swelling warmth pulsed both in appreciation and disappointment.

_R-Right, _she thought distractedly._ This is one of those things people do when they're in a relationship._

A light blush touched her features, and in spite of herself, she accepted his hoodie.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her voice betraying both appreciation and a reluctance to give it.

"Don't mention it," Takato smiled, leaving Rika to fume in annoyance over how relaxed he could be now. How _dare _he be so calm after this morning? Especially now that he lit a fire in her.

Rika scowled at the hoodie, debating over whether or not to use it like a blanket before opting to just put it on, deciding that it was a 'couples' thing she could live with at this point. She felt her skin prickle in appreciation as his warmth suddenly enveloped her and a small smile returned to her face.

_Smells like freshly baked bread, _she thought, breathing deep Takato's scent, only to suddenly wish that she hadn't. The needy warmth hummed appreciatively and promptly turned the temperature up a notch.

_Stupid, stupid_ Gogglehead!she cursed, clenching her eyes shut as she felt those invisible fingers inch ever deeper inside her.

**###**

Takato stretched in his seat as the play ended, feeling the pleasant unknotting of muscles long unused rejoicing in being brought back to life.

"So what do you want to do next?" he asked, only for Rika to abruptly get up from her seat and swiftly start making her way toward the exit. His eyebrows rising, he quickly fell into step behind her. "Um… Are you okay?"

"Fine. Peachy." Her replies were short and terse. Takato winced at the undercurrent of frustration in them.

"Um… Did I do something wrong?" he asked, continuing to follow after her up the stairs that would take them towards the exit. He wracked his brain for what he could have possibly done, but as yet, he couldn't think of anything. Rika almost paused in their climb, but quickly resumed their trek.

"No," she said in a softer, regretful tone. "I was just…" She paused as they filed out of the exit, making a trail toward the sunlit outdoors. "I guess I'm just sorry for taking you away from your earlier _fun _on such short notice and only for this." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I know Noh theater isn't exactly everyone's taste."

Takato cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering where this was coming from. He couldn't remember expressing boredom or even falling asleep.

"Well, I thought it was kind of fun," he replied, offering her a smile.

"Kind of?"

"It was different."

Rika _hmphed._

"That sounds like you're trying to say you were bored but you want to be nice about it."

"Hey, have I ever done something like that?" Takato frowned, pushing open the exit doors and stepping outside. Rika scowled.

"No," she admitted. "But you _do _have a habit of trying to put a positive spin on things because you don't like making me mad."

"Yeah, okay," Takato conceded with a blush, scratching his cheek. "But I wasn't bored. I mean, okay, it's not as fun as watching Digimon, but it was still kind of interesting. I never saw a Noh play before, so it was kind of cool thinking about it. Like…what kind of things people used to see as entertaining back in old days and how seriously they took it. It wasn't just acting it was kind of like…" His words fumbled for half a moment as he thought about how to express what was on his mind. "It was like watching a piece of art being made. I guess I kind of appreciated that. Plus, the company's nice and I think it's nice to be with someone for things like this. It was kind of…" His blush deepened. "…romantic, I guess you could say?"

Rika gave his shoulder a light punch as she rolled her eyes. "Kind of laying it on pretty thick there, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?" came Takato's answering laugh. "You _are _fun to hang out with. In your own way."

"My own, _prickly _way, you mean," Rika smirked. Takato's smile softened.

"Roses are prickly too, but that doesn't stop them from being…beautiful."

Instantly, Takato's face found itself _drowning _in red as he realized what he said out loud and how it sounded. Rika flushed as well, somewhat taken aback by the unexpected compliment. While Takato occasionally complimented her appearance – _warily –_ he had very rarely called her beautiful except by accident such as this, when his mouth and brain got too loose and far apart from one another. Not that she ever discouraged him deliberately, but she knew the vibe she gave off – especially in light of their friend Kazu, who increasingly earned her annoyance whenever he complimented her appearance – made it difficult to predict her reaction to such things, even when well meant. It was easy to see why he would tread with caution and not want to upset her.

Still, she found herself smiling at his words – knowing full well that he meant something different from Kazu – and she hurriedly looked away, her stomach tying itself into knots.

"Okay, now I'm _really _sorry I took you away from your fun," she grunted, folding her arms together over her breasts. "You're getting all mushy on me."

"I-It's no problem," Takato replied through his awkward blushing. "Really, it's not like I had anything better to do, and I like being with you. It's always more fun when you're around."

Takato coughed, trying to rally and regroup. The heat flooding his brain was making it go haywire and it took everything he had to keep from devolving into a mess of babbling nonsense.

Rika hummed as they made their way down the street. "Always, huh? Would that include what you were doing in your room?"

Takato felt a switch spark in his brain at that and his foot caught on the ground, almost tripping him up. Almost immediately, he envisioned Rika with him in his room, and instead of his hand, hers was the one encircling his penis, pumping him softly while she eyed him with a mischievous smirk. Imaginary Rika however stood in stark contrast to her real person. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, her expression contemplative, awaiting his answer.

"Rika…" he began, and he suddenly found his tongue starting to entangle itself. Words tripped on its tip and his thoughts stumbled. Determined not to lose it to the tumultuous storm building inside him, he forced himself to power through.

"Rika… I like sharing things with you. Things like time and… I just like being with you and…" Another spark, and he hesitated, considering that brief flash of insight in the darkness. Why she brought up the incident in his room again; the way she looked at him, gauging his reactions. "Are you bothered by…" He swallowed nervously. "…by what you saw me doing?"

Rika's feet stopped at an intersection, her fingers tapping against her arms in thought as the _Don't Walk _sign flashed red. Her lips parted, but she paused, thinking. Another moment, and she looked at him sympathetically.

"Why don't we table that for later?" she suggested. "I…um… I've been putting you on the spot a lot today and I've just been…"

Takato waited as she trailed off. "Rika?" he prompted when she didn't continue. She jumped slightly, as if broken out of her thoughts.

"Sorry. Um…" Dropping her arms, she turned to face him more fully. "Do you want to try this again later? Plan better, I mean. I've got some free time coming up and I'd…_really _like things to be a little less…" She grinned playfully at him. "…goggleheaded."

Takato scratched the back of his head, uncertain about what was running through Rika's head right now, but he was glad that she wanted to continue giving whatever they were now a shot.

_We…are in a relationship now, right? _he couldn't help but wonder. Rika had said this was a date and she was up for a second round, so that meant they were a couple…didn't it?

_Maybe it's a good idea to give it a few more dates before asking?_

"I don't know how that'll work out since you've got me tagging along," he joked. "But…ah…yeah. I'd…I'd really like that. I'd really like…you." He blanched at his mouth's fumbling and under her widening eyes he quickly tried to backpedal. "I really like you I mean! I want to do right by you and…"

A gentle tap of her knuckles on his forehead brought him up short, and just like that, he gasped in surprise, finding her suddenly _very _close to him, violet eyes dancing with delight as she smirked at him.

"You're getting mushy on me again, Takato," she said in a low voice before leaning in and brushing her lips against the corners of his.

The _Walk _light turned green and its red sibling, _Don't_ flickered to black.

**###**

Electricity powered Rika's muscles as she walked through the familiar streets of her neighborhood. She set a fast pace, but she didn't run. She didn't want to give _herself _the impression that she was in a hurry to get home.

The rest of her pleaded with her mind to do just that however, but she ignored them. As far as she was concerned, _they _could wait for attempting to ruin her date.

_But I am in a hurry to get home, _she thought distractedly, her whole body feeling strangely _alive _in a way that she hadn't before. The memory of her kiss with Takato buzzed within her, and she had to restrain herself from skipping along the sidewalk as though she were a five-year old girl again on Christmas Day.

_Get…Get a hold of yourself, _she berated her excitement. _It was just a stupid kiss. Nothing to get excited about._

Her body ignored her however, and delight sang the length of her muscles, making her move with an energy she hadn't felt since first becoming a Tamer.

She found herself hating singing all the more now.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Rika jumped at the unexpected voice that spoke up just as she rounded the corner. There, seated atop the gate surrounding her home, was Renamon, smiling, her blue-eyes penetrating and knowing. Rika flushed red and resumed her approach, trying – and failing – to appear casual.

"Y-Yeah, I am. So what? I mean… Well, it wasn't a total disaster."

"Is the disaster part why you're wearing Takato's hoodie?"

Rika did not know it was possible for her to blush so much, but somehow, she managed to grow even _hotter _as she realized that both she and Takato had forgotten all about that, allowing her to walk off with it. If she had walked into her home with any _one _of her family members there to see…

She didn't want to pursue _that _thought.

"I was cold," she defended lamely. Reaching about her, she pulled the shirt off, catching the nostalgic scent of her gogglehead. Her heart at once ached and rejoiced, remembering the gentle touch of his lips against hers and missing it. In spite of herself, she wished she could feel his arms about her, holding her close.

_I don't believe this… _she grumbled, closing her eyes. _I'm _acting _like one of those stupid, lovesick girls from school._

"Do you think you could return this for me?" she asked, ignoring her flustered embarrassment. Chuckling, Renamon somersaulted down to her and took the hoodie into her claws.

"Of course," she said. "I would like to make sure Guilmon is dong well. He seemed rather put out when I put it on pause to see how you were doing."

"Almost can't believe you'd be mean to Dinoboy like that," Rika smirked playfully.

"It wasn't intentional," the kitsune replied in amusement. "I'm glad you seem to have had a good time. I was rather worried."

"Because I'm prickly?" Rika asked, her expression sobering somewhat.

"Among other things," Renamon said, her tone suggestive. "But it seems those worries were unfounded. I'll be sure to thank Takato for being such a…" She cocked her head to one side. "Is gentleman the appropriate word?"

"Gogglehead," Rika grunted, trying to parse out Renamon's meaning. "No matter what, he's always going to be a gogglehead. Have fun, Renamon."

"And you as well, Rika," the vulpine digimon said knowingly before vanishing from view, leaving Rika blushing once more, having finally put the puzzle pieces together.

"Sometimes it's annoying that you know so much about me," she muttered under her breath before pushing open the gate to her home and stepping inside. "Grandma, I'm home!" she called, spotting the household's elder matriarch, Seiko Hata, seated at a table, drinking tea while perusing a tablet, laughing at some humorous video that played on it.

"Welcome back," she greeted, putting the video on pause. "Did you have a good time?"

Rika smiled wistfully, remembering her kiss again. "It was…different. But in a good way. Anyway, I…" She blushed faintly. "Um…I'll be in my room. Call me when dinner's ready?"

Seiko tilted her head to one side, but nodded. "We'll be having your favorite. Chicken gizzards with eggplant and liver casserole."

Rika pumped her fist by her side, her grin almost bursting off her face.

"Terrific."

**###**

Rika slid the door shut behind her, taking a minute to enjoy the quiet solitude her room granted her before stepping towards her clothing wrack, where her usual, preferred shirt greeted her. Slipping off her low cut, sleeveless top, she tossed it onto the wrack without so much as a care for it.

"Don't need _you _anymore," she told it, undoing her bra and slipping it off. She felt a short rush of relief at doing so. Her chest had been feeling somewhat tight today. Not terribly so, but noticeably enough to poke at the back of her mind. Taking up her usual shirt, she fluffed it out.

_Wonder if I need to go up another size again, _she thought, scowling at her breasts. They were still growing, it seemed. She wasn't done changing yet.

"I guess I didn't need you either," she said, donning her shirt. She blushed a little, still frowning. "Stupid…" she muttered. "What am I doing talking to my boobs for?"

Smoothing her shirt out, she took a deep breath, feeling it draw tight against her. Another shirt size seemed to be in her future as well, though not today.

_How annoying…_

Still, she felt better, and looking about, she wondered what she was going to do now that she was home. Read a book or…?

Her eyes drifted over to her closet, and a memory of Takato's penis again flashed through her mind. She felt warm muscles, already tired of being ignored, draw tight around emptiness and proceed to groan in disappointment that there was nothing to grip onto.

She groaned back, annoyed, in turn.

"Can't you just…_settle down?"_ she whispered in frustration, seating herself at her table, determined to ignore her closet and the hidden contents contained therein. She remembered Renamon's knowing look and the long, agonizing 'distraction'she endured at the theater. She knew what she wanted to do right now. But she wasn't going to be defeated easily.

_Can't I just enjoy being with Takato and remembering it all without you bothering me? _she asked herself. Muscles trembled in agitation and Rika bit her lip. That pleasant feeling; needy and growling, _wasn't _going anywhere anytime soon. _Either you can do this now and get it over with, or you're in for a long, long night, _that pleasurable feeling almost seemed to say to her. It demanded relief, and in the privacy of her room, with no one to watch her or judge her, it would be _very _easy to get.

And she knew it.

Shame welled up in her, but her hand nonetheless crept southward now. Her breathing slowed in anticipation, ears straining for any signal of her family approaching. She had no concern about Renamon. She learned a long time ago that it was not wise to disturb her partner when she was 'taking care of business.' Her mother as well, as she was out on a photo shoot for work. That left only her grandmother. Easy to hear. She preferred to make sure people knew she was coming.

A button popped open, followed by another and soon Rika's hand slipped under her jeans and panties, fingers parting the sea of red flame that lay beneath. She drew in a sharp, satisfied hiss as she pressed against her swollen vulva, engorged and primed for sex.

_This feels…too good to _be _good…_

Her mind drifted back toward Takato, taking up her earlier daydream at the theater, envisioning herself granting him permission by reaching up toward him, threading her fingers through her soft, brown hair before drawing him to her in a deeper kiss than she had thus far given him in real life. His hair… His eyes. His warm, red eyes. Speaking purely of aesthetics, she loved those things about him the best. His eyes especially. So full of trust and love and respect…

Her fingers grew tight and she gasped, burying her face into her arm.

_No…_

She envisioned him holding her in his arms as their hips rocked lovingly against one another. She felt bad doing so, but imaginary Takato only smiled, leaving little butterfly kisses along her neck.

_"It's okay,"_ he whispered to her anxieties.

_"N-Not okay ..."_ she shuddered, teeth clenching as her fingers pressed harder in the real world. Imaginary Takato simply smiled before silencing her with a kiss, burying himself deeply inside her. Rika moaned softly and she jerked her hips forward, her finger sliding along her vulva. She felt slick. Damp to the touch. She felt so _good_…and that made her feel terrible. What made it even worse, she _knew _that the real Takato would have told her much the same as her imaginary one. He was too self-sacrificing. Too loving. Too trusting.

She was abusing that trust for her own pleasure.

Her fingers didn't stop or even slow down however. The fire was running amok inside her now, causing her to flush powerfully, radiating intense heat from every pore in her body. She raised her hips ever so slightly, allowing greater access to her vagina. She bit her lip, sinking two fingers inside. Her muscles grew tight and she felt a wave of sensation grow within her like a storm, waiting to crash on her like thunder. Needing only one _final _push…

_"Rika! I'm home! Where are you? I had the most _amazing _day!"_

Rika jumped at the sudden, loud call from outside her room and banged her hip into the side of her table. White stars splashed across her vision and she bit back an enraged curse.

"I-I'm in here, Mom!" she called back, hastily buttoning back up while crimson erupted across her face.

_Of _all _the times…! _she thought angrily, clambering shakily to her feet. _Mom… You have _very _bad timing…_

She paused that thought, smoothing out her clothes before reconsidering.

_Or…maybe the best actually,_ she thought, her shame returning again. She closed her eyes, feeling the pleasant, yet almost painful throbbing and squeezing inside of her. Hating it while simultaneously enjoying the pleasurable sensations.

_Sorry, Takato…_

**###**

"Oooh…" Guilmon said, holding up the magazine in his claws. On the cover was depicted an image of a woman, hands squished against her chest and smiling saucily at the viewer, her hip jutted out at a seductive angle. "Boobies."

"Guilmon…!" His face burning bright red, he snatched the magazine out of his partners claws. At once, Guilmon's ears wilted and his expression became downcast.

"Ohhh… What'd I do wrong?"

"Nothing," Takato said apologetically, looking at his desk. "It was more me being careless before I left the house."

He was back in his room at the bakery, feeling a conflicting range of emotions whirling within him. On one hand, he was ecstatic. Rika… Rika _kissed _him! Asked him out on not one but _two _dates and _very _much wanted to be in a relationship with him. His heart whooped with joy, and yet…

He glanced over at the spot where, that very morning, the girl of his dreams had caught him masturbating. She had covered her shock – or was it rather her disgust? – well, and for a time, Takato had been able to forget about the horribly awkward moment. But after they left the theater, Rika expressed a certain…unsettlement about what she saw him doing. Not that she said so, but her lack of response when he asked her about it didn't leave him feeling good at all about the situation.

_I was careless about a lot of things, _he thought, his expression softening. _Rika… Man, you've got to be so grossed out about me right now. What…What could you even see in me after that? Why'd you even invite me out?_

Not finding an answer – not that he expected he would in his private conversations with himself – he made his way over to his closet and pulled the door open. Kneeling down, he wedged the magazine between some boxes that served as its usual hiding place and closed it off from view. Sensing his worries, Guilmon padded over to him and laid a claw on the boy's back.

"What happened, Takatomon?" he asked, slipping into his old naming habit for a brief moment. "I thought you had fun when you were with Rika? Is she mad? You smelled happy when you came home."

"I was. I am. I…" He sighed. "Things are complicated."

Guilmon tilted his head to one side questioningly. "Did it have anything to do with your porn?" he asked. Takato wanted to bury his face in his hands and shut out the world. Oh, how he regretted the day he had to explain the concept of pornography to his best friend. Not that he really understood it all that well beyond it sounding like a really fun game that, unfortunately for him, required tools he didn't have, but it remained something of a dark patch of land in the yard of their friendship, if only due to the fact that hearing the word 'porn' or 'boobies' had not previously been a part of the digital lizard's vocabulary. It left him in dread of his parents should Guilmon, one day, accidently slip and say it out loud.

_Momentai! _he imagined Terriermon – the partner of his friend Henry – saying while giggling, completely indifferent to the role he played in Guilmon's awakening to the concept of sex. Both him _and _Impmon.

_Well, I guess I should be grateful that Guilmon isn't asking me why I didn't draw him with a penis,_ Takato thought before, quite against his will, his mind drudged up an image of his partner with a large length of white and red pointing out from between his legs like a mushroom-shaped spear. Dropping his face into his hands, Takato groaned.

_Mom's right again. My imagination can be such a curse…_

"Hmmm…" Guilmon hummed, trying to parse out Takato's words, taking no notice of his partner's reaction. "Things sure get complicated between you two a lot, huh?" he asked, the question more rhetorical than not. "Sometimes she acts like she wants to beat you up, but she never will. She likes you too much."

"Days like this, I almost wish she would," Takato said with a shake of his head while climbing to his feet.

"Huh? But that would be mean! Rika doesn't like being mean to you!"

"I know, but…" Takato paused, uncertain how to explain everything about how he felt with regards to Rika. How his body reacted to those feelings; reacted to her presence and even the very thought of her. He loved her. Loved her and…more. In ways that went beyond just simple liking. It was what led him to where she had found him that morning. The lust that had earlier stained his floors, and stained many a piece of tissue paper.

He had imagined her earlier, in spite of himself, in suggestive positions. Suggestive acts, and after her catching him masturbating, he felt her judging eyes more keenly than ever. He hated making her upset, even on accident. And this… What he did upset her.

_How am I going to make this up to her? I want to be worthy of her. But…how? What can I do to make her happy?_

"But what, Takato?" Guilmon prompted. Takato was saved from having to answer by the sound of Renamon's claw tapping on the glass of his window. Jumping in surprise, he hurried over, almost tripping over his feet in the process.

"R-Renamon!" he exclaimed, to which the vulpine digimon nodded, a bemused glimmer in her eye.

"Your pants are on, I see," she noted humorously. Guilmon looked at his partner, startled.

"Hah? Was Takato having alone-time in front of you?" he asked, utterly confused. "But…that doesn't make it alone-time."

"Oh jeez…" Takato groaned. _Someone, just kill me now…_

"It was…accidental," Renamon said, passing Takato his hoodie. "Just like this. It seems you left this with Rika and she forgot to return it to you."

"O-Oh!" Takato blinked, accepting his clothes. "Um… Thanks?"

Renamon tilted her head at him questioningly, blue eyes staring directly into his. Feeling increasingly uncertain and nervous under her scrutinizing gaze, Takato forced himself to keep from looking away, all the while his mind raced fiercely, trying to think of something that would help Rika feel better about what happened.

_Maybe if I just…stopped doing it altogether? _That idea sounded good. He went with it.

"I-I mean, thanks. I…" He coughed. "Renamon?"

"Yes?"

"I…um…" _Man this is hard… _"About this morning… I'm sorry. I…um… I want you to know that I've learned my lesson. It won't happen again, I promise."

"Doubtful," Renamon smiled playfully, her voice hinting that she felt he was talking about _more _than simply being careless about where he had his fun. Placing a comforting paw on the teens shoulder, she gave him a soft squeeze. "It's quite all right though, Takato. If anything, I believe Rika seems to have _appreciated _your unintended show."

"That's good," Takato breathed before the light bulb clicked on in his mind. "Wait, what? Appreciated?"

"I don't pretend to understand the ins and outs of everything about you humans," Renamon continued over the boy's confusion, "but she was quite happy when she came home. I don't think she'll hold this morning against you." She gave a light laugh just then. "Though if _any_ lesson is to be learned here, it's one where you use your drapes to cover your window so such accidents don't happen again."

Takato blushed ferociously, his eyes flickering over to said drapes, still open and allowing sunlight to enter his room unimpeded.

_Yep… I'm _definitely_ a gogglehead…_

"Something to think about for the next time," Renamon teased, drawing away and flicking his nose with her tail. Stepping out onto the metal porch, she climbed the railing and turned to look back.

"Rika will call you later when she has details for your next date." Her playful smile widened just enough to allow Takato to see it. "I do hope that you enjoy yourselves."

With that, she vanished from view, leaving behind the sound of a flute playing on the wind with a completely baffled Takato.


	4. Chapter 4

Rika pulled her hair up into its usual ponytail as she padded down the hall away from her room, humming softly to herself. Her clothes were more her usual self today, a simple blue T-shirt with a white heart on it. Casual and easygoing. _Friendly _was the emotion she wanted to convey today with few thorns. And she was in a decent enough mood in spite of the weather's threats of rain, of which there was a high chance of. If anything, the storm gave her plenty of reason to feel more at ease. After a week of settling down from their earlier mishap and trying to work out a second shot at a date between the two of them, the two of them ultimately decided on staying in and just chill out watching some movies with maybe some light studying on the side. Simple. Straight forward. And homework aside, it was an activity they both enjoyed with no pressures being placed on one another and, most importantly, no crowds.

Simple. Easy. And right now, they both needed a bit of simple and easy.

_As long as Takato keeps his pants on, _she thought sarcastically. A smirk tugged at the corners of her lips at her joke, only for it to die quickly, her stomach twisting, remembering how that day ultimately ended with her masturbating to a daydream of him making love to her.

_Why am I getting all squirrely about it? _she asked herself, tying off her ponytail. _I even admitted to Takato that I do that sometimes. It's natural…isn't it? Besides, I'm _plenty _sure Gogglehead would be _more _than happy to mix it up like that sometime._

Her thoughts hung there. _Would _they end up having sex? Suddenly she began to feel worried. Given how close they were, the answer felt like there would be an inevitable 'yes' down the road, but did she want that? Would Takato pressure her into trying it? She couldn't see him doing that sort of thing; felt ludicrous to even consider, but…people could be different once sex was on the table.

_How _do _I feel about it? _she wondered, thinking back to her previous conversation with Takato, when he had asked her about how she felt about his masturbation. Her socked foot stomped on the floor in frustration, as if by doing so she could beat away her anxieties. She wanted to be okay with this. She felt like she _should _be okay.

_So why do I feel like I'm not? _she asked herself, entering the dining area where her mother sat, looking over a letter while drinking from a glass of wine, her expression set in a grim line.

"I'm heading out now," she said, and Rumiko looked up, smiling.

"Have fun at Takato's," she winked. Rika felt a blush rising on her face and she suddenly found herself becoming self-conscious.

"Yeah. Sure," she replied, her eyes suddenly becoming evasive, as if she felt her mother had an inkling of what happened between herself and Takato. "Shouldn't be a problem. If worst comes to worst, he'll just embarrass himself again. That's always worth a few laughs."

"Hmmm…" Rumiko set the letter down and Rika felt her eyes strangely drawn to it. She felt a flash of surprise as she saw, clipped onto its corner, a photograph of a boy her age with proper, neatly combed hair and wearing a smart-looking suit that, she suspected, made him appear far more intelligent than he actually was. Her surprise quickly soured into annoyance and she _tsked._

"Ugh. Please tell me that's not what I think it is."

Rumiko gave an amused laugh at that. "I'd be setting a bad example for you if I lied."

_"Again?! _When are they going to get a _hint _that I'm not interested in any of their stupid little marriage interviews?"

Rika was _fuming _now, her good mood rapidly evaporating. For about several months now, a relation to the family had been sending out propositions to her, ranging from cousins to wealthy elite families she had never heard of nor cared for. Being a Tamer, it seemed, had an unexpected downside in the current digital age, especially when her profession was now more public knowledge than when she was younger.

"I'm sure they'd stop if we married you and Takato," Rumiko replied, tipping her daughter a wink. "That's a joke by the way," she added hastily upon seeing her daughter's face abruptly go red.

"I never should have told you we were going out," the girl grumbled. "And I shouldn't have to…to _marry _the stupid Gogglehead to get people to back off!"

_Marry…Takato… _Rika's face was positively _burning _now as she suddenly found herself envisioning the two of them crossing that threshold. Herself wearing a long, flowing white dress and him in a smart, black suit, carrying her bridal style while she nuzzled his cheek, smiling…

_Let's…stop that thought right there before it goes too far… _she thought, feeling her temperature somehow finding another degree it could climb to.

"Well, if not then maybe you could be able to brag about him," Rumiko continued, enjoying her daughter's embarrassed reactions. "Aside from being such a handsome, dashing knight in shining armor, he might have the right bloodline."

"Huh?" Rika cocked an eyebrow at this, confused. "What's bloodline got to do with anything?"

"The Fujiwara's," Rumiko clarified. "Well, it's extremely unlikely there's any direct connection, but he _is _a Matsuda. Some Fujiwara's took the name for…well, all kinds of reasons."

Rika shook her head at this. That made no sense to her. The Fujiwara Clan dominated Japanese court politics during the Heian Period, maintaining close ties with the Japanese Emperor and monopolizing many titles right up until the Meiji era. Though declined from their previous glories, even today the clan retained somemeasure of influence over the nation. But Takato's family was just that of bread bakers. There was hardly a drop of court intrigue in them and Takato never gave any indication that they had any such connections in their family tree or cared. At least, so far as Rika knew anyway.

_And as for Matsuda…_

"Hate to break it to you, Mom, but Takato's a Matsuki." Rika narrowed her eyes, starting to see where her mother was going with all of this.

"Matsuda on his mother's side," Rumiko tapped a mischievous finger against her smiling lips. "I've been doing a little research since you told me you two were dating. Thought you might like to know."

"I didn't," Rika said flatly. "What's it matter if Takato's related to the Matsudas or the Fujiwaras anyway? It doesn't matter to us."

And it didn't. Not to her anyway, and Takato never seemed to care about her family background. She knew there was some awkwardness about their social and financial differences, but he stuck by her and didn't question her feelings for him when she made clear how deep for him they ran, just as he did when their friendship finally sprouted. That was one of the things she loved most about him. He took her at face value and accepted her without too many questions. He didn't make her feel guilty about their differences. She was Rika, and that was all that mattered to him, just as his being Takato was all that mattered to her, lowly baker or not.

_He's saved my life enough times, _she thought._ Not bad for a 'lowly baker.' I doubt these other kids I keep getting in the mail would show half as much guts as he does._

"Whose business is it anyway who I'm with or who I like?" she continued with an angry grumble.

"Well…the knowledge still might help," Rumiko offered, pressing her lips together, uncomfortable with how the conversation was going. "You know. Just in case."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Rika, to some people, these things _do _matter," Rumiko sighed regretfully. "I just thought you might like to have a tool you can use to deal with them when they come pounding on your door. Your situation is a little bit different from what mine was when I married your father. I want to make sure you don't lose what you have…like I did."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence at this mention of Rika's absent father. They had never really talked about what led to the divorce, not even after it was learned he had died during the D-Reaper attack. Rika doubted even now they would have much to say because she herself was afraid to ask.

_Afraid to ask because I'm scared to know the reasons why, _she thought quietly. All the changes she experienced in her life had to some degree frightened her, truth be told, and she hated that. Fought against it. Denied fear's attempts to take what she cared about. She supposed she was afraid to find out that her father left – _truly _left – because he hadn't loved her. Hadn't loved either of them in spite of the few fond memories they had of him. She was afraid to lose the happiness those memories gave her.

It felt like running away, and she visibly grimaced at herself for it.

"I'm _not _losing anything," Rika declared, drawing her hands up into tight fists before turning away. "I'm not about to lie about Takato. I don't want to make him look acceptable to other people as if I need their permission to go out with him. He's Takato. _My _Takato. And that's _all _I want!"

"All right, all right," Rumiko gave her an apologetic look. "I understand. I noticed that you didn't say you were _against _marrying him though…"

Rika's temper floundered suddenly at her mother's rather brilliantly conducted flanking maneuver on the conversation. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, she gave an angry _humph, _and whirled about.

"I'm out of here," she growled, storming away. "For goodness sake, what is _with _this week?!"

Rumiko giggled a little as the fuming girl stomped out of the house. Off to the side, Seiko entered the room, a bowl of strawberries in hand, looking somewhat amused by Rika's abrupt departure.

"Really, Rumiko. Must you tease her?"

"Oh, let me have my fun, Mom. My baby girl is growing up. Besides, if she can handle world-destroying monsters, she can take a bit of teasing." Sighing happily, she took another sip of her wine. "I'm just glad she's _finally _doing something about that crush of hers instead of pretending it doesn't exist. It hurt watching her getting so worked up about that boy every time they got together."

She watched as Rika made her way down the front walk toward the gate that surrounded their home, and wished her all the luck in the world for her happiness.

**###**

Rika stepped outside of the gate and stood there. She felt Renamon's curious gaze on her, wondering about her sudden delay. She wondered herself, feeling a fit of impatience and irritation wash over her previous moods. Good, it seemed, was long gone and buried beneath the annoyance she felt at her mother's advice and the proposed marriage interviews that came before it. She looked down at her shirt.

_I don't want to change now,_ she thought. _And…I don't want the mood to be different from what I wanted for today either…even if it's not how I'm actually feeling. I just…_

She let the thought hang there as Takato's face flitted through her mind, feeling further annoyed at the implications his intruding visage conveyed. But deciding that she had wasted enough time in indecision, she cast her thoughts towards her partner.

_Renamon!_

"Yes, Rika?" the kitsune asked, phasing into view beside her.

"I was going to walk, but there's been a change of plans," she said turning toward her. "Give me a lift instead?"

"Always," the fox digimon nodded with a small, barely visible smile. "Front door this time?"

"Now, don't _you _start too," Rika grumbled, stepping into her partner's arms. "But yeah. Front door this time."

The kitsune chuckled and with that, they vanished into thin air.

**###**

"Where…_are _they?!"

Guilmon looked up at the sound of Takato's frustrated voice, finding him kneeling down in his closet. A box shifted as he tried to peak underneath it and then plopped back down. He had a stash of movies that Rika insisted they watch for their date. Not anything she picked herself, but having watched a Noh play for their first date, she had been adamant that it was only fair that they see something from his interests this time around. Not quite what Takato would have thought of for a date, as his preferences in films were neither romantic nor shared by his lover. He expressed that he felt that his picks should be for the both of them, but again, Rika had been rather insistent.

_"I'm sure after last week, we could both use something a little mindless anyway," _she had teased playfully, not meaning anything derogatory by her words. _"Don't worry too much about it, Takato. I'm sure it'll be fun."_

"She sure has a lot of faith in me, so I've _got _to make this _perfect," _he mused aloud, moving another box over so he could get deeper access to his closet's contents. "Of course, if I could actually find anything…"

"Still can't find them, huh?" Guilmon asked, poking his head in. Takato shook his head regretfully.

"I really don't understand because we just watched something recently, remember?"

"Yeah," Guilmon nodded. "The movie with the racoons. I liked that one."

"And that was…what? Last week?" Takato puffed at a strand of hair that had fallen between his eyes. "I swear, sometimes I think Calumon sneaks in here and hides things on me."

"Maybe it's a digignome instead," Guilmon suggested. "That one who followed us home was really good at hiding things, remember?"

"Now that you mention it…" Takato trailed off just then, his eyes going wide as he caught sight of something familiar and he gave a happy cry of discovery. "There! I think that's…"

Another box higher up shifted and promptly spilled over to the side, dumping a number of papers and one CD atop Takato's head. The CD bounced off his scalp, clipping him with its corner and eliciting a surprised _yelp_ from the boy. Turning a fearsome glare at the treacherous box, he rubbed the spot where he had been struck and picked up the CD curiously.

"Ohhh… A movie?" Guilmon asked, sniffing at the disk in question. Takato turned it over.

"It's not labeled… Huh. I don't remember seeing this before. Maybe it's something I borrowed and forgot about."

He wracked his brains, but for the life of him he couldn't remember ever borrowing a CD from anyone recently or even the past year.

_Must've been a long time ago, _he thought.

_"Takatooo!" _came his mother's call from downstairs. _"Rika's here!"_

Takato gave a startled gasp and scrambled to his feet.

"Oh man, she's here already? And I still haven't picked out a movie!" His eyes darted toward the mess of papers on the floor. Dropping the disk, he hastily swept them up and stuffed them back into their respective box before wrenching out the one he had eyed earlier. A quick peak at its contents showed that, yes, they were precisely what he had been looking for.

"Good," he breathed in relief before turning over his shoulder. "Coming!" he called back before turning toward Guilmon. "We'll be back," he smiled, a nervous but happy twitter to his voice. Without another word, he hurried out the door to meet up with Rika, leaving Guilmon alone in the room.

The crimson dinosaur looked down at the unlabeled CD with curiosity, his head tilted to one side in thought before gingerly picking it up.

"Maybe we should see what your story's all about?" he asked it.

**###**

Takato hurried down the stairs and ducked out into the bakery section where he found Rika standing at the cash register, his mother happily chatting with them. Upon seeing them, Rika smiled.

"Hey there. All set?"

"Just about," Takato grinned sheepishly. "Still need to pick a movie. Sorry. I put them in a weird place."

"Maybe if you organized your room more often like you're supposed to, you wouldn't have that problem," Mie said in a reproachful tone. Takato blushed, embarrassed at being admonished in front of Rika by his mother. Still, he bore it without complaint. After all, she _was _correct.

"Definitely something to think about," he laughed. "Um… So, anyway, snacks are upstairs with Guilmon…"

Rika lifted an eyebrow. "You left _food _alone with Dinoboy?"

"Hey!" Takato exclaimed. "He'll be good! I promise! He's been getting a lot better lately, and he knows how much this means to us."

Rika regarded him skeptically. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she said, turning toward Mie, seeming to be asking for permission silently. The woman smiled and gave a laugh.

"Oh, go on up," she said before becoming serious. "I'll be in to check in on you in a little bit, so _no _funny business."

"W-What funny business are you talking about?" Takato asked, the two teens blushing hard at Mie's implications.

"Takato, just because I've gotten older doesn't mean I've gone senile. You're old enough to know what I mean and I was your age once. Now that I've given you your fair warning, why are you two still down here? Go on!" She made shooing noises with her hands, indicating that they were to get on with their date already. Taking the hint, the two teens beat a hasty retreat towards the living section of the bakery and began to climb the stairs to Takato's room.

_"Very _subtle, Takato," Rika said, amused, once they were out of earshot. "You accidently masturbate in front of me because you forgot to close your drapes and you think you can pull a fast one on your mom?"

"Okay, not exactly my smartest move," Takato admitted with a laugh, his ears burning bright red at the memory from last week. Rika smirked.

"Like you have many smart moves?"

"Point taken. I just got a little bit flustered, that's all. I thought she trusted me a little better than that when it comes to this stuff."

"Takato, you've told me yourself that she didn't trust you with a goldfish and that was part of the reason why you didn't tell her about Guilmon. Besides…" Reaching the top of the stairs, they paused briefly next to one another. "Like she said, she _was _our age once."

A tense silence fell between them, the two teens quietly acknowledging the truth of her words. Sex was a dragon that had been rearing its head amongst their peers since about the time puberty kicked in, and though interest varied from person to person, Takato and Rika both knew that they weren't an exception. Rika blushed further, remembering how she had masturbated to the memory of the boy and his own bit of personal fun. Though not said out loud, they both couldn't help but wonder just how long it would be before they made an attempt at the deed.

_Would…Would we actually try? _He felt a part of him jump in excitement at the idea and his penis began to grow hard in his pants, but it was strongly tempered by his concern for Rika, especially after last week. She had seemed rather unsettled by seeing him masturbate, and he himself was unsettled by her reaction. Was she disgusted by him? But if so, why did she want to date him? Or kiss him? Why did she want to have _anything _to do with him? Shouldn't she have left and never have anything to do with him again?

_She said it's natural, but…is that what she's trying to tell herself? Trying to tell me so I don't think these things? Does she…?_

"Takato?"

"Huh?" Startled out of his thoughts and back to reality, he saw Rika shift on one foot, appearing uncomfortable.

"You're staring."

"S-Sorry." Takato hastily averted his eyes. "I guess I got too lost in my head."

"Yeah?" Rika smirked, trying to hide her obvious anxiety. "Did you get lost because you were trying to imagine me naked or something?"

"N-No!" Takato protested, blushing ferociously. "I…" Looking away again, he rubbed the back of his head anxiously. "I was just wondering why you liked me."

Rika tilted her head to one side, seeming to be confused by his question. "Well, why do you like _me?" _she returned, crossing her arms defensively, a sliver of red touching her cheeks.

"Hey! I asked first!" Takato protested. Rika allowed her smirk to return to her lips, this time becoming more natural as her earlier discomfort receded to a playful boldness.

"All's fair in love and war."

Takato laughed at that, relaxing a little. "And which one's this?"

"Probably both," Rika replied, uncrossing her arms and giving his shoulder a playful punch. "Come on. We've got a date to get started, remember? We can't do that outside your room. Hurt your brain all you want about why I like you while we watch our movie together."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she pushed past him, her smirk still teasing. "And if you don't embarrass yourself _too _much, I might let you hold my hand."

Takato visibly swallowed, red creeping into his face like an invading army. Rika laughed upon seeing it. She couldn't help it. He was just too much fun to tease. There was just no hiding things from her, no matter how much he tried, and she…

She was soon ripped free from her thoughts by the sound of a cry of ecstasy emanating from Takato's room. She turned toward the boy questioningly, but he looked even more baffled than her. The cry repeated itself with greater intensity and together they approached his door, curious to solve the mystery. From within, they heard Guilmon making a sound of amazement.

"She must really like that to let him do it to her…"

_Oh no…_

Light bulbs turned on in Takato's mind and there, promptly exploded. Hurriedly throwing the door open, he bolted into the room, suspicion and horror growing in his mind in equal parts like an out of control virus as his imagination took off.

It didn't take much for his worst fears to be confirmed.

There, on his TV, was a woman lying on a futon while above her a man held her tightly by her waist, his throbbing penis buried as deep as it could go into her vagina. Both of them groaning loudly in mutual orgasm. As Rika stepped inside to join Takato, the man withdrew, panting heavily, his softening penis slipping out of the woman, a thick string of sperm connecting them together.

While their eyes grew wide and their faces went bright red, Guilmon leaned closer to the screen and tapped its glass with a claw, his golden eyes curious.

"Are they trying to make babies in this one?" he asked idly. "Usually he lets it out on her stomach…"

_"G-Guilmon!"_

"Takatomon!" Guilmon greeted, looking over his shoulder. "I took a look at that CD you found to see what was on it and…"

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Takato yelled, bolting over and hitting the off button on the TV. At once, Guilmon's ears wilted and he backed away.

"Oh… What'd I do?"

"N-Nothing!" Takato replied, feeling like a heel for yelling at his partner now for what was most likely an innocent curiosity. His eyes flickered hastily over at the blushing Rika, who stood at the door now, arms folded back over her chest, violet eyes watching the scene play out. Takato swallowed, feeling the heat overtaking his face. "S-Sorry, Rika," he stammered out, throwing on a cheesy, embarrassed smile. "I-I found a disk earlier and didn't know what was on it and…"

"…and I thought I'd have a look in case it was something you both would like to watch," Guilmon quickly added. "But I guess it wasn't? Sorry if I ruined your date. Please don't be mad at him."

Unfolding her arms, Rika stepped over to the pair and placed her hands on both their heads, scratching Guilmon's ear while ruffling Takato's hair.

"You two are _such _numbskulls," she said, hitching a fake, exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with you boys?"

"You're…not mad?" Takato blinked. Rika grimaced, looking uncomfortable.

"I've done worse," she admitted, thinking back to when she had masturbated to her fantasy of Takato, earning her a blink of confusion from the pair. She frowned. "Look, can we just pretend to forget about this? Do you have an idea on what we're watching or was it just to watch your little porn flick?"

"D-Definitely not that!" Takato said, disentangling himself from her touch and hurrying over to the box on the floor. "I…uh… I did have some ideas, actually. Did you ever watch Gojira when you were a kid?"

"The big lizard that shoots fire?" Rika raised an eyebrow while Guilmon's ears perked up excitedly. "Maybe once or twice, but I don't think I ever got into it. Looked a little too campy for me."

"That sounds like you saw something from the _Showa _era," Takato explained, sifting through the box he had, producing a number of films of the DVD and VHS variety. "There were others that were a little darker. Um… The _very _first one he's actually a bad guy and… Let's see… I know it's in here somewhere…"

"Can I watch too, Rika?" Guilmon asked, looking up at the girl with big, shining golden eyes. "I really, _really _like Gojira. I promise to be quiet!"

There came the sound of a flute playing upon the air and Renamon materialized next to the dinosaur.

"Why don't we let them have their date and go to the park?" the vulpine digimon suggested, bringing a paw down atop Guilmon's head. "This is their special time and they might not get many before too long. If you'd like however, you can tell me all about this _Gojira."_

Renamon exchanged a glance with Rika and the girl nodded to her in relief, knowing that if not for her, she would have said yes in the end. While she was largely resistant to cuteness, Guilmon's large, pleading eyes coupled with his promise of silence made a nigh convincing case to her.

"Okay," Guilmon said, looking a little disappointed, but he swiftly perked up at the idea of engrossing Renamon in stories about the films. With nothing more to be said, Renamon patted her thigh, indicating Guilmon was to follow her. The Tamers and their digimon said their respective goodbyes – indicating that they would be within the vicinity of their old meeting place – and soon enough the two teens were alone in the room. Rika scrunched her face up, feeling an odd sense that they were saying goodbye for real.

_Don't be stupid, _she thought, turning toward Takato, who looked at her with concern. "What?" she began defensively. "Do I have peanut butter on my face or something?"

Takato relaxed visibly, but still looked a touch concerned for her. "No. You just had a funny look, that's all."

"And here I thought you got lost in your head again trying to imagine me naked."

"I…I wasn't…" Takato stammered out, becoming badly flustered. He quickly whirled about back toward the TV, fingers fumbling with the DVD drive. "I'm just going to put in a movie."

"Don't you already have one in there?" she asked teasingly, settling herself down at the table Takato had set out for their use. From her angle, she saw the marching crimson on his face invading the hills and valleys of his ears and steadily creeping towards his neck. Takato's motions became more erratic, struggling to concentrate on just the simple task he set for himself. In spite of herself, Rika smiled upon seeing this.

_He has no idea how cute he gets when he's embarrassed, _she thought, ignoring her casual use of the word 'cute.'

"A-An _actual _movie!" Takato blurted out, all but dropping the unlabeled CD as he took it out of the DVD drive. He frowned at it for a moment before chucking it into a nearby wastebasket, much to Rika's surprise.

_Something's up, _she thought. _Did I push him too far?_

"It's probably Kazu's," she heard Takato continue, his tone unexpectedly scornful. "He's always bringing stuff like that over during our study sessions and must have forgotten it. I really wish that he'd…"

_Okay. I think I get what's going on now…_

"Takato, you know you don't have to prove anything to me, right?"

Her question punched across his agitated mutterings and Takato turned toward her, red and baffled with a restless look in his eyes. Rika felt an unexpected swell of pity for him.

_Can't really blame him for getting uptight. It's like the universe keeps trying to yank his pants down on him, _she thought. _Almost literally._

"Don't look at me like that, Takato. I'm just saying, you don't have to prove anything to me, so stop being a gogglehead about this stuff." She paused and smirked, deciding to test the waters. "It's _not _cute."

_Great. Now I've said it._

They held each other's gaze for several, long moments, Rika allowing Takato time to process her words. Finally, he turned away, and though his face remained flushed, he looked more visibly relaxed, if confused.

_Back to being cute, _she thought, relaxing herself. _Good._

Taking out another disk, he plopped into the DVD player and closed it up.

_I don't have to prove anything? Is that what I was doing? _he wondered, turning the TV back on. As he searched for the remote, he carefully thought back on his behavior, feeling the squirrelly sensation that had pervaded him since they entered the room and found Guilmon watching a porn film. It still sat there in the pit of his stomach, but it had curled up, becoming passive, giving him time to think. Yes, he supposed that he had wanted to prove to Rika that he wasn't just another creep.

_It's not like I'm being given a chance to prove otherwise, _he thought. _First, she walks in on me when I'm…a-and then we walk in on Guilmon and… _He groaned mentally, wanting to hang his head at the unfairness of it all. _I just want Rika to have a good time watching a movie. Why can't the universe just let me do that?_

He wondered if this was the universe's way of saying that the two of them simply weren't meant for one another and that they should call the whole thing off before things became _too _weird. If things were this bad now, then the universe was only warming up for bigger, _worse _things to come.

He pondered that thought as he made his way back toward Rika, who had found the chicken gizzards that he had painstakingly searched for in preparation for today and was already digging in.

"It's a pretty old movie," he explained as the film began in all its grainy gloriousness. "Black and white. Actors wearing rubber suits. I think there's even a scene where Gojira is obviously a hand puppet…"

"The Noh play we saw doesn't exactly have convincing costumes," Rika shrugged over the sound of ominous, thundering footsteps as the opening credits began, holding out a gizzard with her chopsticks for him to take. "I'm only in it for the story."

Takato paused in surprise at the offering of her favorite food before reaching for his own chopsticks, fumbling them slightly and causing one of them to flip out of his hands. Rolling her eyes, Rika simply leaned forward and pushed the gizzard up to his lips.

"Oh, for goodness sake," she laughed. _"Here!"_

"Ah! Rika, what…? Gmmph!"

"What do you mean _what?" _she asked, her eyes flicking over at the screen of Takato's old, beat up looking television, ignoring his shocked expression as she continued to push until the boy _finally _opened his mouth and accepted the gizzard. "This is a couple thing, isn't it?"

"Um… Fwell…" he began, his voice muffled. Rika scowled at him, retracting her chopsticks.

"Table manners, Gogglehead."

_What the heck is going on here? _he couldn't help but wonder in bafflement. He chewed quickly and swallowed. "W-Well… I guess it is. I mean, I've only ever seen it in manga and I think some couples, but…" He paused, looking flustered and then looked down at the bowl of gizzards she was eating out of. "Can I…?"

Rika raised an eyebrow at him as, on the screen, the film officially began. Taking his chopsticks, he dipped into her bowl and produced a gizzard, and he held it out for her. Rika looked at it skeptically, red tinging her cheeks before finally rolling her eyes again and leaning forward, mouth opening expectantly. Swallowing, Takato slipped the gizzard between her lips and drew back. Rika chewed thoughtfully in consideration.

"This is…kind of stupid, isn't it?" she asked. "The food-sharing thing, I mean, not the movie."

Takato scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. I never really thought about it before. I'm kind of surprised that you brought it up. You never struck me as the sort of person who would do things because other people did them."

"I'm not," Rika grunted. "But you were taking forever getting your own chopsticks, so I figured, why not?" She popped another gizzard into her mouth, chewing some more. "Shouldn't _you _be happy about it anyway? It's practically an indirect kiss."

Takato blushed immediately at the mention of an indirect kiss, and Rika could only shake her head in amusement at him.

"You get worked up over the weirdest things," she said. "At your age, I would have thought you'd be getting flustered over more _risqué _things. You're such a kid."

"B-But…those kinds of things…!" Takato began, only to find himself being silenced as Rika pressed another gizzard against his mouth, eyes set in a fearsome, yet playful, look. On the screen, a group of sailors screamed as a flash of light burst across their vision, and they scrambled about, knocking over instruments and a game of Go in the process.

"Don't be a kid, Takato," she said, slipping the gizzard into his mouth with a cat-like smile on her lips.

"Y-You know…" Takaato stammered out between his heart's nervous flutters and chewing. "You're kind of treating me like one…"

"Might as well get the practice in I guess," Rika shrugged with a slight frown, causing Takato to lift an eyebrow yet again as he swallowed.

"W-What do you mean?" he asked, wiping a hand over his mouth. "Rika…"

The sound of a gentle knock at the door interrupted them. Sliding open, Mie poked her head in.

"Just thought I'd check in on you," she said, taking careful stock of the room around them, as if to ensure that the teens she saw weren't somehow digital copies and that the _real _ones weren't getting up to mischief in a corner somewhere. Satisfied that such wasn't the case, she turned toward the film and then promptly scowled at her son.

_"Gojira? Really _Takato? What got into your mind that _that _was the sort of appropriate film to watch on a date?"

"Mom…" Takato protested while Rika shook her head.

"It's fine, Mrs. Matsuki," Rika shrugged. "I'm not a fan of romantic movies anyway. Trust me. This is _way _better."

Mie pressed her lips together at that, but chose not to say anything to challenge the girl's taste in films.

"Hmmm… All right," she conceded, giving Takato a look that promised a talking to later. "I'll be back in a little bit to check on you again."

With that, Mie reluctantly ducked out of the room, an almost disappointed cloud hanging over her. As the door closed behind her, Rika glanced over at Takato as he picked up a wasabi roll. He held it out for her, smiling.

"Want some?"

"You're _really _taking to this whole 'feeding your girlfriend' thing, aren't you?" she asked, tilting her head to one side in amusement.

"What can I say?" Takato beamed. "I like making you happy."

"Fine." Rolling her eyes at his corniness, she leaned forward and allowed Takato to feed her. She hummed in approval at the earthy taste, savoring it before swallowing.

"So…um…if you don't mind my asking, what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Takato asked. "About getting practice?"

"It's nothing," Rika shrugged, her violet eyes suddenly becoming evasive. "Just stupid things. I'm not really in the mood to talk about them."

"Okay," Takato said, reaching for another gizzard. "But you know…"

"Yeah, I know." Rika glanced back at him, seeing the offered gizzard. "You're there to listen if I need an ear." She smiled and leaned forward, mouth opening to accept his present.

Her mouth closed around nothingness and she looked up at him in confusion. He was grinning, the gizzard dancing just beyond her reach.

_He's teasing me… _she realized as, on the screen, a character named _Ogata _was receiving a phone call from the coast guard that effectively canceled his date with his girlfriend, Emiko. "You know… I've got this entire bowl of gizzards right here. I don't _need _that one."

"Yeah," Takato laughed, holding out the gizzard back for her to take. "I guess I should have thought about that. But… I know how much you like chicken gizzards, and that bowl won't last you forever."

Refusing to be tempted, Rika turned away. As a matter of fact, she drew the bowl over to her side, as far away from Takato as possible.

"What makes you think that you can tame me?" she asked, giving him a hard, thoughtful look.

"Tame you?" Takato tilted his head to one side, honestly puzzled. "I just thought… My parents…" He paused, frowned, trying to work out how to best say what he was trying to tell her. "My parents sometimes just tease each other for fun," he explained carefully. "Like, how my mom will say that husbands drive wives crazy, or like how my dad will sometimes tickle her…"

"So, your idea of teasing me is keeping food out of reach instead of tickling me?"

"Well… You'd probably hurt me if I tickled you… Wait, do you _want _me to tickle you?!"

"I-I didn't say that," Rika stammered out, flushed. She shot him a sharp look. "And _don't _you even _think _about trying anything!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Takato said, waving a hand in a placating manner.

"Oh, _sure _you will," she replied, poking at him with her chopsticks. "You and your _dreams! _Holding my hand? Having an arm around me?" She poked at him again. "Yeah, I just _bet _you want to _tickle _me!"

On the screen, Emiko expressed regret at the canceling of the date.

"Okay, okay," Takato laughed again at her playful jabbing. "Bad idea. I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Rika _harrumphed, _turning her attention back to the television just in time for Gojira to torch another ship. Memories of her conversation with her mother came to mind, and her expression fell, thinking on how her mood had soured then. How it still felt sour even now. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Takato watching her, but she chose not to comment on it, not wanting to give him anything to latch onto. He had _more _than enough practice teasing out whatever things bothered her nowadays, knowing full well that it was just a matter of time and patience.

_I'm not about to give him the satisfaction _this _time, _she thought. _I don't…want to talk to him about the marriage interview. Or marriage at all. I just want to enjoy my time with him._

She felt – _heard _– Takato shift and move closer to her. She sighed, already knowing that he sensed that she was upset about something. For all his faults, Takato was sensitive to her moods, and as he likely knew she was bothered about something, that was more than just 'stupid things,' he wanted to help her feel better. She had already shot down talking, so he was hoping to help her just with his presence. With his closeness. A part of her knew that he wanted to fold her into his arms, and a part of her desired it as well. To breathe deep his scent and hold him close to her…

But that only made her feel angry, not wanting to give the impression that she wanted to rely on him. Old habits died hard, and this one died _very _hard.

_I hate this, _she thought, seeing him place the gizzard he had been teasing her with on her plate. Sighing, she massaged her shoulder. She didn't want him to get worried. She just wanted to enjoy the date with him and not have to think about what her _extended_ _family _wanted from her. For the briefest of moments, she entertained the idea of _tickling _him, if only to distract him, but a quick trip to the realm of her imagination gave her pause.

_With Takato's luck, his mom would probably find us and think we were trying to get frisky, _she thought, imagining the woman marching in, hearing the commotion of their laughter and finding Takato on top of her, hands under her shirt. With that in mind, she decided on the much better compromise of tossing him a bone that, at the very least, contained a nugget of truth, even if it made up only the tiniest of concerns that lay on her mind.

"It's my bra," she said, blushing a little. "That's the stupid stuff I didn't want to talk about."

There was a heavy pause, during which Takato, having finished processing her words, blinked and then looked at her abruptly.

"Wait, wha…?" His mind's cogs worked. That didn't seem to fit with what she just said. Nevertheless, Rika pushed on, determined to blot out his questioning nature before it had time to ask the right ones that would plant and take root in his brain.

"My bra," Rika repeated, annoyed. "It's…pinching me a little." She rubbed at her shoulder again for emphasis, adjusting the strap a little in an attempt to give herself some comfort. "I'm…starting to get a little big for it again, and it's…annoying me." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing the creeping red in his face again. In spite of herself, she found herself smiling ever so slightly.

_Cute._

"Oh! Ah… Um… W-Well, if you want… If it bothers you so much, you can take it off and then you won't have to…" At her stunned expression, Takato's words ground to a halt suddenly, a light switching on in his head a second too late. The crimson already staining his cheeks _darkened _visibly and he placed his face in his hands, groaning.

_"It was incredible," _a rescued sailor – victim of Gojira – moaned on the television. _"The ocean just blew up!"_

"You want to run that by me one more time?" Rika asked, grateful that she appeared to have accomplished her goal of distracting the boy.

"Okay, yeah, that…sounded kinda different in my head," he said, lifting his head up from his hands.

"No surprise there," Rika smirked, leaning her chin into her hands, waiting to see where he was going with this. In spite of his words, she had a suspicion that what he was thinking on had nothing to do with tidily winks and some flimsy hope at being able to see her breasts.

_Not like we'd have the chance with his mom running the place, _she thought.

"S-Sorry," he shifted uncomfortably, looking ashamed. "I just… If it's making you uncomfortable, I thought it'd be easier and… Oh, who am I kidding?" Takato's shoulders sagged and he looked at Rika apologetically. "I sound like such a creep right now, don't I? I just want you to feel like you're at home. Like you can relax here and…stuff."

He felt like such a heel now. She _had _to think he was trying to take advantage of her. After what she saw him doing, why wouldn't she believe such things? Those eyes of hers… Those beautiful, violet eyes that he sometimes found himself getting lost in. Eyes that were full of hidden kindness and hurt. He searched them for any sign that he had hurt her with his suggestion. If he had…

_If I had, I'd never forgive myself._

Rika contemplated his words for a minute before coming to a decision. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Rika hoisted herself up with a grunt and stepped away from the table.

"No peeking," she ordered, causing him to lift an eyebrow, his gaze almost starting to follow her before jerking away, his brain, for once, listening and realizing it needed to jump ahead of the line. He focused on the movie now, watching the concerned citizens of the two destroyed boats asking for news; _demanding _any information about their loved ones who had been lost at sea to Gojira's attack.

He heard some shifting of clothes behind him and he forced himself to pay closer attention to the movie, even though he had already seen it a hundred times by now. _Anything _to keep his imagination from running wild with what he heard going on behind him. His imagination, unfortunately, fought back, eagerly attempting to form an image of Rika's naked back, smooth and pale, that disappeared down into the hem of her jeans that hid her posterior. More rustling of clothing, and he closed his eyes, ignoring the stirrings of a longing that had gone ignored for some days now; a longing that filled his penis and caused it to begin growing within his pants. He bit his lower lip, attempting to banish such thoughts from his mind. The longing almost seemed to laugh at him, conjuring up Rika, looking at him with a decidedly seductive smirk, one arm raised, revealing the soft side-swell of a milky-white breast. His penis twitched, hardening, a pleasant ache washing along its length and spreading outward, rising from his hips and into his chest where his heart quickened its beat. The ache _flooded _him and groaned against the prison of his pants.

_No!_ Takato exclaimed mentally, ruthlessly crushing the dream _hard, _and for a wonder, it ceased. The longing remained, as did his pleasurably painful erection, but his imagination retreated, finding a corner somewhere to sulk at his lack of cooperation. In the next moment, Rika sat back down next to him, still fully clothed and breathing a sigh of relief as she rotated her arms.

"B-Better?" Takato asked, not yet looking at her for fear that he might accidently break his promise to her.

"Better," she said, and her hand slipped into his, giving it a loving squeeze. "Thanks, Takato."

Oh, how Takato wished he felt that he deserved such thanks.

**###**

The rest of the movie passed without further incident, and Rika stayed for dinner at Mie's request, during which Takehiro, having discovered that the Digimon Queen had seen Gojira for the first time, excitedly grilled her about the film and what she thought of it, being something of a longtime fan himself of the franchise. This ended when Mie intervened, feeling that her husband was making himself a nuisance to the 'poor girl,' and soon enough the date ended. The pair left the bakery together, not hand in hand, but their presence enough for one another.

"Did you have fun?" Takato asked as they made their way down the park paths. Rika hummed, not answering right away.

"It wasn't bad," she said with a smile. "It was only a little _less _crazy compared to last time at least."

"Sorry about that." Takato rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment at the memory. "I didn't…"

"Takato, you _don't _have to apologize," Rika quickly cut in. "Guilmon's a goofball and I'm pretty sure neither of you meant anything by it, so don't worry."

"I'll do my best," Takato chuckled dryly. "But…you know me."

"Yeah. Tall order, but I'm sure you can pull it off." Drawing close, she bumped him playfully with her hip. "You've pulled bigger miracles in the past, so _I'm _not worried."

"Well, you're usually right, so maybe I should listen and just stop worrying like you said." He scratched the back of his head, smiling goofily. "So…what do you want to do for next time? I mean… Is there a next time?"

"For goodness sake, I just said to stop worrying." Taking hold of Takato's hand now, she pulled him to her and bumped him with her hip again. "I'm not letting you get away just because we watched a movie about a radioactive, fire-breathing dinosaur." She looked up at him, violet eyes shining. "It _was _a good film, even if it's hard to swallow that a nuclear blast turned the dino into a giant, rampaging monster."

"We're partners to digimon and _that's _the hard thing to swallow?" Takato laughed.

"I don't see radiation giving people superpowers, Gogglehead."

"Well, maybe Gojira's just different," Takato returned. "Hey, do you think Gojira would be able to beat a digimon?"

"Not if it's Renamon," Rika chuckled. "Renamon beats everyone, hands down. Dinoboy on the other hand…"

"Hey! You don't really think Guilmon would lose to Gojira, do you?"

"Hmmm… Yeah, you're right. You're both too hardheaded for him to crack."

"Okay, that's… Hey!"

Their hands squeezed around one another lovingly as they shared their laugh. Approaching the stairs that led up to an old concrete bunker – their meeting place past and present – Rika drew to a halt.

"Last stop before we get to our partners," she said, turning toward him. "Got anything else in store for your queen before we go?"

Blushing for what had to be the hundredth time now, Takato nodded, not trusting his voice to answer for him. His hands rose and took the fire-haired girl by her arm and shoulder and drew her towards him. Smiling, Rika's eyes closed as her lips parted slightly. She moaned softly as their lips met and she felt an excited tremor pass through them. Feeling emboldened, she gripped his shirt and pulled him tighter against her, her breasts pushing against him briefly as she deepened the kiss. For half a second, she felt something stir in his pants, growing rigid, trembling slightly, like an animal preparing to pounce. She shuddered, heat washing over her and she drew away.

"N-Not bad," she replied, her voice shaky. She looked up at him, gauging his reaction. Takato appeared stunned by the depth of their kiss, but he managed a quick recovery.

"Y-You're better," he stammered out with a laugh before quickly falling back into silence. They gazed at each other, the air between them feeling as though it had become charged with electricity. Rika found herself glancing downward at his pants – briefly – before looking back up at his crimson-colored gaze. That warm, needy sensation was back, and it pulsed the length of her body excitedly. She saw it reflected in Takato's eyes as well in spite of his best efforts to hide it behind the wall of his love for her.

_We both want it, _she thought with quiet realization. _But I think…I think we're both too scared to _really _bring it up. _Her eyes searching Takato's face, her expression softened, remembering his earlier behavior with the porn disk Guilmon had popped in. _And…maybe too ashamed._

The silence grew, slowly becoming uncomfortable, but fortunately it was soon broken by the sound of Guilmon's excited voice as he came charging down the concrete steps.

"I was right!" he proclaimed loudly. "I _did _smell Takato and Rika!" With a cry and a laugh, the big dino leapt into the air and bowled over Takato, his warm tongue quickly going for his face. Takato squirmed and cried out against this unexpected tongue bath, and Rika rolled her eyes.

"Guilmon…" she sighed. "You _do _know I like kissing him, right?"

Pausing in his ministrations, the dinosaur looked up at her, golden eyes questioning. "Yeah. That's why I'm helping him stay clean for you. Why? Do you want him to be dirty?"

"It _is _the polite thing to do," Renamon said, phasing into view behind Rika. "Though I imagine Rika feels that she would be kissing you as well indirectly."

"Ohhh… Yeah, that's a good point," Guilmon nodded in understanding. "Takato, why didn't you draw me more like Renamon? She's always so smart."

"I don't think anyone could be like her," Rika chuckled, helping Takato back up to his feet. "Anyway, about next time… Why don't we put it on the backburner for now, okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze. "No point rushing things, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Takato agreed. Another pall of silence fell between them, only to be interrupted by Guilmon.

"Awww… That's so nice," he commented, and just like that, Rika released Takato's hand.

"Okay, that's enough for tonight. Better hurry on home, little boy. You don't want your mom to worry or anything."

"Wouldn't want your mom and grandma worrying about you, either," Takato replied, taking a step back. "Good night, Rika. And…ah…sweet dreams."

"Don't be corny," Rika rolled her eyes as she stepped into Renamon's awaiting arms. "But…yeah." Red tainted her cheeks in the growing shadows of the evening. "You too."

With that, the pair vanished from view, leaving Takato and Guilmon alone in the park.

**###**

"You seem to have had fun in spite of things," Renamon said as Rika made her way towards her bedroom, having greeted her family and given an abridged account of her date to them.

"Takato has a way of making big things seem small and small things seem big," she said with an amused shrug. She paused and scowled at her partner. "That _wasn't _a reference to anything by the way."

"I'm not sure I catch the meaning," the vulpine digimon replied, though the amused tone in her voice suggested otherwise. Rika slid open her bedroom door and stepped inside.

"You've been around Terriermon too long," she grumbled, making her way over to her clothing stand and snatching up her pajamas. It was a little early for her to turn in, but the date _had _drained her and she felt now was as good a time as any. She would need the rest anyway. Her mother was respecting her need for space now, but come tomorrow it would be about all she could do to fend off questions from her. Still, that was tomorrow. For now, she only wanted to dream. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feel of Takato's hands on her arm. The press of his lips against hers; her chest against his. Her heart skipped a beat at the memory and she sighed in contentment, grasping hold of the hem of her shirt, preparing to lift. _That _was what she wanted. The Takato she knew and loved holding her, loving her in turn.

_He doesn't _need _any propping up, _she thought, her shirt rising. _He's fine just the way he is and…_

Rika froze, eyes widening with horror. Renamon tensed up, sensing her sudden distress.

"Rika?" she prompted. The girl turned toward her, swallowing in embarrassment.

"I…um… I just realized something. I…I need you to do something for me."

**###**

The old, beat up television showed a giant, mechanical dragon firing lasers and missiles at a dog-like, humanoid monster with jeweled eyes. The dog growled and snarled, angry at the attack and strove to avoid it, but the robo-saurus was not one to be so easily evaded. Guilmon pressed his nose up against the screen, eyes wide with worry.

"Ohhh… Poor King Caesar," he moaned, his claws flexing. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I'm sure he will," Takato chuckled lightly from atop his bed where he watched idly, a manga laid out before him. Although Guilmon had seen this particular film many times, he had the odd concern that each viewing might be different. He wondered if that was how Guilmon kept the excitement fresh each time. He remembered feeling much the same way when he had been younger and still in his single digits. "He's one tough cookie after all."

"He is, isn't he?" Guilmon nodded, happy with that acknowledgment. "But MechaGojira is tough too. He beat Anguirus _and _Gojira!"

"Yeah," Takato replied, stretching and yawning along the length of the bed. "But I wouldn't say that either of them are out of the running just ye… Huh?"

Takato's hand bumped up against something he didn't recognize in his bed, squirreled away beneath his pillow. Confused, he pulled it aside to see what it was. A pair of blue-colored cups tied together lacily to a form-fitting strap graced his vision and for a moment, the boy was at an utter loss for what he was seeing and how it might have gotten there. He _knew _what it was he was seeing of course. A bra – and _Rika's _bra to be more precise, but so completely unexpected was its presence, that he felt that he _had _to be dreaming. That it couldn't have turned up in his bed like this. He had to be imagining things. His fingers graced its surface, feeling its smooth hardness. His penis at once hardened back to life and cocked itself eagerly, trembling within his pants for a chance to explore its imaginings to its fullest potential. Takato swallowed and did his best to ignore his penis' urgings.

"Why is this…?" he began, picking the bra up in confusion. The answer dawned on him almost immediately. _When she took it off. She must have hidden it here and forgot it._

There came a _tap-tap-tap _on the large window of his bedroom, and looking up, he saw Renamon standing outside, blue-eyes shining in his direction.

"R-Renamon!" he yelped, quickly scrambling down from his bed.

"Ha?" Guilmon asked, turning around. "Renamon's here? How come? I don't sense any digimon."

Hurrying over to the window, he yanked it open, allowing the kitsune entry.

"Apologies for disturbing you," she replied. "But Rika requested that I come to retrieve an article of clothing for her that she accidently left behind." Her eyes flickered down at the bra dangling in Takato's hand before returning up to him, twinkling in amusement. "I see you have just found it yourse…"

"Takato," came the voice of Mie from outside the room, the door sliding open much to the boy's sudden horror. "I wanted to talk to you about…"

A deathly silence fell upon the room as Mie froze in place, eyes growing wide at the sight of her son standing in front of Renamon, a blue brassiere dangling between them.

"Oh… Oh my…" she began, her voice in a hushed whisper. "Is that…? Takato! Why…?"

"M-Mom! It's…It's not what it looks like!"

_"Not_ what it looks like?!" Mie all but shouted incredulously, causing Guilmon to flatten his ears against his head. "Because it looks like…like…"

"Mrs. Matsuki," Renamon began, attempting to intervene as she took claim over the article of clothing. "If you could remain calm, I believe I can explain…"

"Takato?" Guilmon asked, turning towards them, gold eyes blinking innocently in confusion. "Why is Renamon holding booby-holders and why do they smell like Rika?"

Silence struck once more like a hammer, broken only seconds after by Renamon's exasperated sigh.

"Oh dear…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some weeks ago, when doing some research into the last names of the characters, I found that Takato's surname of Matsuda does have some connections to the aforementioned Fujiwara clan, which was a historically powerful clan with close relations to the Japanese Emperor and Shinto priests. The Matsudas especially tended towards the priesthood and for a variety of reasons Fujiwaras would take the name. Given the importance of bloodlines in the elite circles of Japan's upper crust (the kind of circles Rika's family would move in), this seems like something that would come up, especially with regards to marriage interviews. Rumiko, keeping an eye out for her daughter's interests, would likely bring this up as a means to fend off any outside pressures to break off Rika's relationship with Takato.
> 
> Research! Can't even begin to stress its importance. :D


	5. Chapter 5

_Lee sat on the bench while Takuro bound his injured shin with bandages._

_ "You need to take better care of yourself," Takuro admonished his friend, his wide, puppy-like eyes turning up towards him, full of concern. "What if you hurt yourself so bad that I couldn't patch you up?" _

_Lee didn't meet his eyes, instead turning away, allowing his dark bangs to fall over his gaze._

_ "Sorry," he replied in a soft breath. "I didn't mean to upset you like that."_

_ Takuro's stern expression melted and a small smile appeared on his gentle face. Putting the finishing touches on the bandage, his hand caressed it._

_ "No… _I'm _sorry. I know how much your upcoming match means to you…"_

_ "It doesn't mean as much as you do!" Lee burst out suddenly, causing Takuro's eyes to snap up at him, surprised. His teeth clenching, Lee gripped the bench tightly, his face growing red. "You… You're always standing by my side. Helping me when I'm down." He turned his gray eyes towards him, emotion swimming within them. "I shouldn't be thinking only about myself out there. Not when you're always looking out for me."_

_ Takuro's thumb traced along Lee's thigh, his smile returning, but troubled._

_ "You should get back out there," he whispered in a soft voice. "Your team needs you…"_

_ He found himself cut off as Lee placed a heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he gasped, seeing his friend looming over him, his eyes set in a fierce expression. He looked oddly…upset with him. As if the mere mention of his fellow teammates had drawn up some demon of anger from the depths of his soul._

_ "Don't you need me too?" he asked, his face hovering now within inches of Takuro's. Takuro opened his mouth to respond, but Lee leaned forward, doing what he always did best. Take the final distance. Lips met in a trembling embrace, and Takuro felt as though the whole of the world had narrowed down to just the two of them and their warmth._

_ "Takuro…" Lee breathed, breaking away to gaze at him._

Rika's face was flush as her violet-eyes traced the panel of the two boys kissing. Trembling a little, she glanced about her nervously, ears straining for any sound of approaching footsteps.

_Easy… Easy… _she told herself, running her tongue along her lips. They felt so _dry _now. Like they needed water to wet their thirst. Adjusting herself, she ran a hand along her arm and forced herself to regain _some _of her composure.

_Can't believe Jeri got me hooked on this story, _she thought, turning the page and finding herself greeted by Lee's character slipping a hand underneath Takuro's shirt as their lips met once more. Her eyes were for Takuro mostly, and the crimson stain on her face deepened as she drank in the image of his palm coming to rest on Lee's crotch, cupping the heavy bulge that lay hidden within. She blamed him for being the reason of her interest; for resembling Takato the most both in name and appearance.

She also blamed Takato – his kisses _especially! – _for stirring up the fire within her that made her pull out this doujinshi for a 'quick read' while she waited for Renamon.

_Speaking of which… Where is she?_

Distracting herself from the pressure she was placing on her arm, she glanced over at her phone.

_She's late getting back, _she thought. Reaching out instinctively, she mentally touched the little ball of emotion that lay in the back of her mind, signifying Renamon's connection with her, but received still nothing more than a vague dimness that told her she was alive and still in the human world, but was too far away for her to be able to read much else. At the very least, she wasn't in any danger, but that didn't explain why she wasn't home yet. Drumming her fingers on her table, she gave an annoyed sigh.

_I bet it's Takato's fault somehow, _she thought. _How complicated could it be? It's just supposed to be a quick in and out. How hard could it be?_

She supposed that there was a good reason. Perhaps a snag of some sort. It was possible. Takato had an unnerving habit of unintentionally complicating things, especially when he got flustered about something.

_Maybe Takato's having a little fun with my bra, _she thought before frowning. _Except…he's not the sort of person to do that sort of thing…is he? _She tried to imagine Takato rutting through her things. Rutting _into _her things, but found the scenario preposterous. He had a hard enough time admitting to her he wanted to hold her hand, and being the sort of person he was, he didn't want to give her the impression he wanted to go any further lest he upset her.

The tip of her fingernail brushed against Takuro as his hand slipped down Lee's underwear, drawing out his now fully erect penis and her expression softened, thinking back to their kiss and how it had nearly overwhelmed them both. It felt as though a door had been unlocked for them both and on the other side a need and a want were discovered. With them came something else however.

Fear. A fear of how he perceived her and vice versa. She looked down at her borrowed doujinshi, and saw Takato's own desires reflected back at her. Desires that she knew he was afraid she would be upset about.

Would she truly be upset about his desires?

_He'd accept mine, _she thought, curling her fingers into her palm. _That's always been the most endearing thing about him. He just…accepts me for who I am. No questions asked. I'm his best friend and that's the only thing that matters._

She glanced up at the photo that sat on her dresser. It was the two of them from about two years ago. Her arms folded together, looking agitated while wearing a baggier shirt to hide her figure but did nothing for the blush that illuminated her face as he stood next to her. He smiled for the both of them however, flashing a V-sign at the camera. She remembered well the day that picture had been taken. It had been when she was first starting to come to grips with the realization that she had developed a powerful crush on the hapless, clumsy Gogglehead she called her second-best friend.

She looked down at her hands.

_Shouldn't I be okay that he wants to be with me like that? _Her violet eyes fell on the picture of the two fictional characters locked in their passionate embrace, neither one willing to let go of the other. _I mean, isn't this what couples do? Kissing… We did that. Can't…Can't we do more? Shouldn't we be okay with doing more?_

She felt her body grow a little hotter, remembering the flash of excitement that had surged through her, and felt it rekindling now, stoking the heat that already warmed her. _Had_ warmed her since their kiss. Her eyes fell once again on Takuro, his hand slipping into Lee's underwear. Her mind slid back to that fateful day from a week ago when she walked in on Takato pleasuring himself and this time imagined that it was her hand clasping hold of him.

In the real world, her hand drifted to her stomach and pressed itself there. Below it, the pleasurable, swollen heat between her legs made itself known. She bit her lip.

_How would we be if we just stopped playing around and showed each other how much we cared? If I…opened myself to him like this…would I be okay?_

The heat pulsed and she bit back a groan. She wasn't sure. But an idea came to her. One that caused her to blush once again and scowl.

"Stupid…" she told herself, climbing to her feet. Making her way over to her dresser, she took up the photo of herself and Takato. Carrying it back to the table, she set it down in front of her and gazed at those long-ago eyes of his. At once, she felt herself waver. Determined however, she turned the page of her doujinshi. Licking her lips, she listened once more for approaching footsteps. And Renamon? She remained where she was; a vague, background presence. Taking a shuddering breath, Rika fixed her gaze on Takato's eyes, and slid her hand down into her pants, threading her fingers amidst the sea of red hair that lay within.

"Okay, Gogglehead," she said shakily. _"Gawk."_

**###**

The air in Takato's room lay thick with tension; Renamon on one side, holding her partner's bra, and Mie on the other, wide, horrified eyes flicking back and forth between Takato and Guilmon who stood in between. Renamon waited patiently for someone to break the ice. She considered being the first, fearful that the sudden bursts of shock on Takato and his mother might prove to be too much for them and potentially ruin the budding relationship Rika had so painstakingly crafted this last week. There needed to be a calming, patient touch to smooth things out.

_Still… This is a matter between them. I am not a part of their family. _She paused on that before continuing. _Not yet, anyway._

She felt the truth of that thought burn within her, yet awareness of Rika's bra in her grasp and knowing how badly she wanted this relationship to work, she knew she could not just stand by on the sidelines. She needed to intervene to protect her partner's heart.

_I may not fully understand why you chose him or what you see in him, but as long as he makes you happy, I will do whatever I can to protect that happiness._

Feeling her determination solidify now that she had made a choice, Renamon opened her mouth to speak, only for Takato to, for once, beat her to the punch.

"It's not what it looks like."

His voice came out loud and strong despite the nerves that it carried. Surprised, Renamon glanced over at him. He didn't appear to match his tone. A tremor had crept into his arms and was matched by a furious blush that burned the length of his features, yet he kept his eyes fixed solidly on his mother, seeming to dare her to contradict him. Uncertainty seemed to shake the woman and she scowled over at the brassiere still held plainly in Renamon's hand before looking back at her son.

"It sure doesn't _look _that way!"

"I _know _what it looks like, Mom, but it's not!" Takato insisted. "Rika… She was complaining about…about her…her…" The boy's face flamed brilliantly as he stammered, struggling to speak, but the one word refused to march past his lips. "S-She said it was hurting her!" he finally burst out, and as though a dam had broken asunder, more words came tumbling forth haphazardly.

"I don't want to hurt her! I want her to be happy! That she can feel like she can be at home around me and…and I thought if she didn't have it on, she'd be happy and I couldn't live with myself if she just pretended everything was fine if it wasn't! I…I just…"

Running afoul of a verbal pothole, Takato began to flounder again, gesticulating chaotically with his hands while his mother tried to make sense of his scattered mess of an outburst, uncertain of how to respond.

"Takato…" she began, only for the boy to cut her short as he continued his fumbling, frazzled defense of Rika.

"Just don't be mad at her!" he continued, a spark shining in his eyes, determined to defend her honor. He kept speaking, determined to find the magic button that would assuage his mother's concerns and keep her from thinking ill about Rika's intentions. "I know how it looks, but it's not anything like that! Rika… She'd never… I mean, she'd probably pop me a good one if I… Before even _thinking _about letting me…"

Renamon's paw fell upon his shoulder and the tongue tied boy abruptly spun towards her in surprise. Words just on the tip of his tongue however died almost immediately as his crimson eyes met her azure ones.

Mie frowned slightly at the scene before once more looking in Renamon's direction. The vulpine digimon felt an odd, adversarial sense emanating from the woman's eyes as they fell upon the brassiere in her paw. She tightened her grasp about it, but made no attempt to hide the garments. After one, long moment, the woman hitched a heavy sigh, forcing herself to relax.

"I'm…sorry," she said finally, throwing on a small, if false, smile; the kind Renamon knew were used to disarm tense situations. "I don't mean to keep you here."

"It is quite all right," Renamon bowed respectfully. "I can't imagine that this is an easy moment for you. Rika's grandmother has often commented on the difficulties of children as they grow into adults. I am sure Takato is no exception any more than Rika is."

"Yes… It is." Mie looked back at Takato briefly before shaking her head.

"Are you mad at Takato and Rika for loving each other?" Guilmon asked, his wide, golden eyes shining with concern. Pressing her lips together into a tense line, Mie took his head into her hands and scratched his ears just the way he liked. Guilmon leaned into her touch, making soft, cooing noises.

"Well…I'll admit it wasn't a very nice surprise," she said, fixing her son with a hard look. "But… Ohhh… I can't talk about this right now! But make no mistake, Takato. We _will _be having a chat. I think you need another reminder about the birds and the bees."

Takato went rigid at that, face flaming once more in embarrassment.

"M-Mom…" he stammered out, suddenly feeling the amused gaze of Rika's partner on him.

"I know. I know. We've talked about it before, but it sure sounds like you're in need of a fresh reminder. Honestly, Takato. I swear, if it weren't for us having to constantly remind you about your responsibilities…"

Takato groaned while Renamon looked on in amusement.

**###**

Renamon bounded from rooftop to rooftop, the straps of Rika's bra fluttering in the wind that swirled about her.

_How strange, _she thought, and not for the first time. _To think that something as simple as clothes and bare skin would cause so much of a stir._

Landing atop a roof, she paused for a moment, inspecting the undergarments. There was nothing about them that appeared threatening, and as far as she knew, neither were the breasts they were designed to support. Soft and yielding to pressure; made to provide milk for young humans to nurse from; tantalizing and endlessly fascinating to those humans she was friends with and, it seemed, to the world at large. Entire media and websites were dedicated to them, and yet they were treated like some kind of danger or threat.

_Perhaps because they are involved in the making of life? _she pondered. Mie and Seiko and even Rumiko had spoken of the importance of responsibility when it came to having children. Perhaps this was why. Perhaps Mie feared that they – her son especially – didn't take the responsibility seriously enough.

_A bit strange, seeing as how he raised Guilmon, _she thought. She found herself smiling a little at the idea of Takato helping to raise Rika's children. While she didn't know if Rika ever held such desires for making a family, the role at least seemed to fit him well should she choose to do so.

_Still… How strange._

Curious, she considered the brassiere for a moment before unwinding it and holding it up against herself. The cups, as she expected, fit her not in the least, lacking the appropriate measurements and form for them to fill. The tuft of fur on her chest didn't help things either. Feeling foolish, she drew it away and wound it back up.

_Rika's waiting for me, _she thought, leaping back into the air. It didn't take her long to finally arrive at the Nonaka residence. Landing stealthily on the roof, she strained her ears for any noise from down below in her partner's room, preferring not to disturb her if she were 'taking care of business,' as she put it. Upon detecting no sound that would indicate such to be the case, she flipped down and entered Rika's bedroom just in time to find the girl hurriedly squirreling something away in her closet, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

_Ah… It would seem I timed things too well, _she thought with some bemusement, watching Rika shut her closet with a guilty look on her face.

"T-There you are," she greeted with an flustered croak. "I was starting to wonder if you had gotten lost."

"Apologies," Renamon replied, approaching her and handing over her bra. "There were…complications."

At once, Rika's expression changed as she took her brassiere back, becoming one of annoyance. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

A small, barely visible smile touched the vulpine digimon's lips. "If you already know, do you need to ask?"

"Real funny, Renamon," Rika rolled her eyes, not appreciating having her words thrown back at her. "But let me guess, just to see how right I am. Takato found my bra before you got there, didn't he?"

"He did," Renamon acknowledged. Rika shifted, her cheeks reddening.

"Was he…doing anything?"

"Just holding them." Renamon watched as Rika looked down at her undergarments before sighing.

"Of course, he didn't," she said softly, turning towards her dresser. Renamon blinked.

"Did you…want him to?" she asked, somewhat confused by this response.

"What?!" Rika's socked foot tripped on the floor in shock at her partner's unexpected question, but she quickly righted herself. "No! I mean… S-Stupid!" Throwing open her dresser, she tossed the bra inside without further ceremony and roughly closed it back up. "I don't know. I guess I just thought that…maybe he'd…"

She trailed off; fists clenched tightly together. Renamon cocked an ear at her, considering things for a moment.

"You've always had strange expectations from him," she pointed out. "I seem to recall that on your third meeting you thought he was looking to confess his love for you."

Rika _hmphed, _but blushed nonetheless, remembering that strange, confusing time for her. A time that was no less confusing for him as well. "He came looking for me. And I had a lot of 'fans' confessing to me back then."

"None of whom you attacked though," Renamon chuckled.

"That's all ancient history," Rika grumbled, pacing the floor as though she were trying to escape her partner's scrutiny. "Things were different then. _I _was different then." She paused in front of her closet and looked over her shoulder at her partner, eyes dark and frowning. "So, if he wasn't doing anything, what took you so long? Did his brain blow up and you had to pick up the pieces?"

Opening her closet, she took out her futon, if only to give herself something to do that would allow her to vent her frustrations. Something _other _than imagining Takato masturbating over her underwear.

Unfortunately, she couldn't stop herself from doing so. In her earlier frustration and boredom, she had retreated to her doujinshi and as a result, her mind was now full of tantalizing images. It didn't take her long to again envision Takato pushing his penis up into her bra, his hand running it along its length and pressing the tip into the cup that held her breast. She bit her lower lip, her imagination taking things one step further and bringing both down upon her bosom, tracing small, tender circles along her skin, all the while smiling with that warm, gentle smile he always gave her.

_And his eyes… Those stupidly cute red eyes of his…_

Her fingers tightened around the futon and she moaned inwardly, cursing her mind for treating her to such vivid pleasures in front of her partner.

"No, unfortunately," Renamon continued over Rika's shudder. "But his mother walked in just as he was giving me your clothes."

Rika froze at that, all thoughts of Takato enveloping her in his arms and having his way with her vanishing.

"You're kidding. _Please _tell me you're kidding."

She whirled about toward her partner, aghast at the implications. _Of all the things to have happen… _she thought, horrified. Seeing this, Renamon placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Takato was able to explain the situation adequately," she began helpfully. "I don't believe she'll hold anything against you."

"I'm hearing a 'but' in there somewhere,"she said, grumbling. "I'm going to call her."

Pulling away, she made a line towards her cellphone. "I'm sure that Gogglehead managed to muddy things up somehow."

Snatching her phone off the charger, she flipped it open, only to find Renamon's paw abruptly resting on top of it, claws closed gently around both it and her hand. Looking up with a raised eyebrow, she saw the kitsune shake her head.

"It would be best if you slept on any further discussion," she advised.

"Why? Because it's late?"

"There is that," Renamon nodded. "It has been my observation that humans don't enjoy their rest being disturbed. Especially by someone upset when they themselves have already been upset. I believe though that it is in your best interest to give everyone a chance to calm down. However Takato's parents feel now, they may think differently in the light of day, when they have had time to process things and give them a second look."

"Renamon…" Rika swallowed and looked back at her phone as Renamon's claws relaxed around it. Anxieties billowed up from within her chest, threatening to overwhelm her, but her partner's words cut to the core of her being. She _wanted _to act, but at the same time recognized the vixen's wisdom. If she acted now, she could potentially make things worse.

_I don't…want to lose this, _she thought, her grip around the phone tightening. _I don't want to lose him!_

It occurred to her just how afraid she was at the idea of losing Takato becoming a reality. She wanted to berate herself for being so very much like the classmates she often looked down upon – their obsession about their relationships – but for a wonder she found that she couldn't summon the will to do so.

_Mom warned me that first love is like that, _she thought, closing up her phone. _So did Jeri._

"Okay," she said shakily. "But tomorrow…"

"Of course," Renamon nodded. "Before school or after?"

"After," the fire-haired girl sighed, setting her phone back on its charger. "I need to calm down too, and I need to think of a game plan." She scowled. "Stupid… Why can't this just be _simple?!"_

"If you wanted simple, perhaps you should have chosen someone other than Takato," Renamon remarked, causing Rika to shoot her a hard look. The vulpine digimon chuckled. "Apologies. I was trying to be humorous."

Rika _hmphed, _but found she couldn't rebut her partner's words. In spite of herself, she found a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Well, you're not wrong," she replied before arching a curious eyebrow. "So, how badly flustered was he?"

Renamon gave a light laugh, knowing full well why she was asking.

"I believe you would have found him…_cute."_

Rika rolled her eyes, pretending to care otherwise. "Stupid Gogglehead."

**###**

Takato breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed into bed. Below, Guilmon was curled up and snoozing softly; it having taken only seconds for him to hit the snooze button. He envied his partner that ability to simply drop off into dream land without much thought. He knew that sleep for him was going to be a long time coming.

_Well… Today could have gone better, _he commiserated. _And it had started out so good too._

Thoughts of his conversation with his mother flitted through his mind, as did concerns about their 'upcoming chat.' She was right to worry, he had to admit upon slipping into his blankets.

_I'm not exactly the most attentive about things, and I do get distracted easily._

He paused in the fluffing of his pillow and, carefully, looked underneath it on the chance that there were any other hidden articles of clothing he needed to be aware of before dropping off. His heart picked up its pace, becoming anxious and uncertain as to what he might find, but as the memory of Rika's bra flashed through his mind, his penis proved a little surer and more confident, steadily rising within his pants as it swelled and hardened. There was no secret about how it felt about today. The unexpected discovery had been a treat it would not soon forget, and it would make sure Takato wouldn't forget either.

_Oh man, _he thought miserably, setting his pillow back down and mashing his face into it, trying to douse his imagination with utter blackness. Hormones beginning to buzz within his body excitedly caused such dreams to burn ever brighter however, offering a tantalizing image of Rika in a state of undress, her bared bra hiding her breasts from his sight. The knowing, playful smirk that graced her lips caused his length to quiver and the boy moaned softly.

_Do you really want to sleep? _the imaginary Rika's eyes seemed to ask him. In response, his hips shifted and the head of his penis pressed into the fabric of his underwear, eager to play. Fluid seeped out from the tip like a tear and formed a small, barely perceptible damp spot in his pants. It certainly didn't want to go to sleep just yet.

Slipping his hand inside, he took hold of his hardened member and adjusted it, settling it into a spot that he _hoped _would cause less friction and rolled onto his side, attempting to banish such fanciful images from his mind so he could sleep and, hopefully, feel less guilty about himself. His imagination however held the almost nude Rika before him, leaning forward temptingly, her clad breasts jutting at him in a commanding manner, demanding attention. Muscles flexed around Takato's length in response and he groaned again, grinding his teeth against the small tidbits of pleasure that moved like little fingers within him.

_Come on… Don't be like this. Please…_

He bit his tongue and shifted, again trying to banish the false Digimon Queen. Rika wouldn't appreciate him fantasizing about her like this, especially after he confessed to some of his other fantasies already. She had been amused about them then, but this step further…

_She looked like it would hurt her, _he thought, knowing how she felt about being 'gawked at' (especially where Kazu was concerned). The idea of doing something that would upset her felt awful, so he stayed his hand and clenched his eyes shut. The dream remained tantalizingly close, watching him with the cat-like playfulness that Rika always had whenever she cornered him about something. With an effort, he turned his mind towards something more appropriate. More _acceptable._

His and Rika's parting kiss came to mind, and he smiled at that, relaxing into that dream happily. Kisses were good! She had liked their kiss and had seemed to want more.

_I'd give her all the kisses she wanted, _he thought with an exhausted sigh, the weight of the blankets pressing down on him; swaddling him with their warmth and baking into him. He thought of how her eyes had shone at him after their second kiss; how bright they had looked. Even with their first kiss, as chaste as it had been, seemed to have sparked something in her that somehow made her all the more lovely to him. Happier. It was as though she were lowering her walls and revealing her real self and she was grateful to have found someone she could do that with.

He never thought her smile could look so beautiful. Bearing that memory, he swore that whatever else happened, he would do his best to be the person she could be her true self around.

Relaxing, the world faded around him and he slipped into a dream of kisses; one where Rika took his lips into her own, embracing him enthusiastically; her fingers running through his hair. His hands rose up and cupped her face, deepening their kiss before rolling her onto her back. Violet eyes flashed mischievously as his hips pressed against her softness. How he loved this feeling; her lips pressed against his, encouraging him to be bolder; to show her all the love he had for her while she reciprocated eagerly. He accepted the challenge without question. He wanted her to feel so good! He couldn't let her down. Not when she was showing so much trust and love towards him. He dove into her, his lips tracing against her neck while running his hands along the small of her back, causing her to arch in response, pressing her hips against his. He felt her heat; its call for him to prove his metal – his worth to her as her chosen lover.

She was fully naked now and he drew back, having become likewise nude in the dream, drinking her in while his erection pulsed and twitched. Her violet eyes looked up at him in amusement and wordlessly parted her legs in open invitation. Without question, he lined himself up to her vagina and proceeded to sink into her warmth. He shuddered and groaned loudly, but his waist wouldn't slow down to accustom him to the sensation of her hot sex squeezing around him lustfully. He thrust into her, his arms wrapping themselves about her as he did so, his lips raining a flurry of butterfly kisses along Rika's jawline. She giggled silently, angling her neck to give him a better angle. Sensation drove his loins. Powerful, throbbing and building towards something he couldn't begin to describe, save through the growing force of his already ragged breathing as he sped up. His rhythm soon dissolved into an erratic bucking and his hands clenched tight around her waist. The storm-filled sensation grew about his crotch and he pressed her to him, pushing ever deeper. His mouth found her neck and bit down before burying himself into her with one final thrust. An exquisite eruption of white semen burst from his penis and he cried out, clutching Rika tightly against his chest.

Then…the dream faded, taking Rika with it and leaving the disoriented boy in the darkness of his room, bleary-eyed and gasping harshly against his pillow while his member throbbed and pulsed happily in the long-awaited release it had made in his pants. His orgasm fading, his muscles slowly unclenching and he looked about in confusion, sleep and dream both clinging stubbornly to the edges of his mind.

His gaze fell upon a pair of shining, golden eyes, watching him from the ladder with a mixture of curiosity and worry.

"Takato?" came Guilmon's questioning voice, poking the confused boy with a claw. Sleep fled in one mad retreat and a startled Takato gave a shout that echoed throughout the bakery.


	6. Chapter 6

The school day passed Rika by with annoying slowness, but soon enough she found herself passing through the gate of her home. Standing on the porch, adjusting a set of wind chimes, Seiko saw her approach and smiled.

"Welcome home, Rika," she greeted before returning to her work. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was okay," Rika shrugged indifferently. "Not on my top ten list of 'good days' but it passes."

Seiko hummed as she nodded and stepped away to admire her handiwork. "Will you be heading out soon?"

Rika arched an eyebrow. "Once I get changed. Why?"

Seiko smiled knowingly at her, causing Rika's skin to prickle.

"I'm _not _planning any dates with Takato today." She fidgeted as she approached the porch. "I just…need to clear the air a bit about something."

"Is everything all right?" Seiko asked, growing concerned.

"Everything's fine," Rika shrugged, turning away and heading for her room. "I just made a goggleheaded goof yesterday and I don't want any misunderstandings."

She felt as though she were lying, saying everything was fine when in reality she had no idea. But not wanting the conversation to drag out and preferring to keep her grandmother from worrying, she opted for keeping things simple and uncomplicated.

_Besides, I admitted that I made a mistake anyway, _she thought.

"When's Mom getting home?" she asked, changing the thread of conversation.

"Later tonight, I think," Seiko replied, following after her. "Did you need something from her?"

"Not really." Rika shook her head, massaging her armpit. "Except maybe a better brand name store anyway." She winced, and Seiko looked at her sympathetically. Of all the clothes she wore, the poor girl seemed to have the most trouble when it came to bras. Her growth had been rapid since turning 13, and at times during her fourteenth and fifteenth years, they couldn't keep up with her. Adjusting the straps didn't always cut it (and when they did, not for very long) and these days Rika often preferred to simply do without while at home to save her on headaches. Out in public however, she couldn't get away with such attitudes and simply had to put up with the discomfort.

For a string of months since turning seventeen, she had been able to forget about it though, but it seemed such luck was not meant to last.

_I thought I was _done _growing, _she grumbled, stepping out of her shoes and entering the household.

"Hmmm…" Seiko began, trailing after her. "If you'd like, you can borrow one of my old ones or one of your mothers until you get some new ones. She won't mind helping you be comfortable you know. You're only a little smaller, but I think either of ours will fit better if you're outgrowing your current size."

"I'm not sure how that would solve anything. I _still _wouldn't fit, and I don't think adjusting anything will help."

"Well, I didn't say you had to wear it permanently. Just for a little while so you're not as uncomfortable."

Rika made a noncommittal grunt at that, not at all sure how she felt about wearing one of her family's tops, especially her mother's, which were not only more _fashionable, _but some of them leaned on the rather heavy side of risqué. She couldn't say that she would feel comfortable knowing she was with her friends or even Takato wearing something like that, even if they didn't see it.

_That'd be something though, _she thought, thinking of Takato's potential reaction if he ever saw her in one of her mother's getups. A trickle of red made itself known along her cheeks and she found a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she imagined his expression. Flustered wouldn't even _begin _to describe how he'd melt down.

Still, she wasn't sure if it was worth it just yet. While annoying, her present size wasn't yet something that necessitated an emergency like borrowing clothes until a trip to a clothing store could be arranged.

"I'll think I'll be okay for now," she said, turning down the hall. "Thanks anyway, Grandma."

"As long as you're all right," Seiko smiled sympathetically. "But don't be afraid to ask if you aren't. I was your age once so I remember how frustrating things could be about this sort of thing. If you'd like, there's a store I've been thinking about visiting lately that seems…" She chuckled. "…more your style. I thought it might be interesting to try something new and I've been a little curious about their sports bra selection…"

Rika blushed at that, almost unwilling to believe she was discussing brassiere styles with her _grandmother _of all people. That was like her though. Her online activities suggested a far sassier side than she liked to let on publicly, and she was usually willing to step out of her comfort zones as well to experiment with new things.

"I'll think it over," she said, drawing open her door and stepping inside. "But right now, I need to change."

Nodding, Seiko withdrew and Rika slid the door shut behind her, encapsulating herself in the privacy of her room. Basking in the quiet, she made her way over to her dresser and frowned as Takato's smiling face greeted her. Dropping her bag, she returned the photo's unflinching gaze before taking hold of her uniform's top and drawing it off in one smooth motion.

"It's okay," she said softly, her breath nervous as she dropped the shirt unceremoniously onto her clothing rack. "He can look. I'm fine with him looking."

Her skirt and socks followed in short order, and she began to rummage through her dresser, her hands moving with a bit more speed than she intended. Her eyes flickered back up to the photo and she bit her lip, anger flaring at her anxiety.

"It's _okay," _she repeated with a firmer voice, this time more directly to the photo. "I'm _fine. He _can look."

"Rika? Who are you speaking with?"

Grabbing a pair of jeans, Rika drew them on, saving her top for last as an act of defiance. Her eyes remained fixated on Takato's, half-expecting them to follow the sway of her breasts as she buttoned up.

"The photo of my gogglehead," she said, now grabbing her belt. "I'm…practicing."

From the shadows, Renamon emerged, blue eyes curious.

"Oh?" she asked. "Is this for the future?"

"It's going to happen sooner or later." Buckling on her belt. Grabbing a shirt – white with red sleeves and a red heart emblazoned on the chest – and, still facing the picture of her lover fully, pulled it on. "I want to be ready."

Renamon raised an eyebrow at this.

"You seem quite committed to this relationship."

"I don't like doing things halfway," Rika replied with a shrug that appeared more indifferent than she actually felt. "I'm either all in or all out. No in-between."

Renamon gave a light laugh at this. "You may change a great deal on the outside Rika, but it seems you're still the same on the inside."

Rika frowned, gazing at her reflection in the photo.

"I'm not so sure about that," she said softly. Renamon again lifted an eyebrow at her partner but chose to follow another path of conversation instead.

"I looked in on the Matsuki's while you were at school. They appeared quite relaxed today."

Smoothing out her shirt, Rika frowned at her chest. "Takato too?"

Renamon frowned slightly.

"He appeared a bit out of sorts, and not in the way you would prefer. It didn't appear to be connected to his parents. I spoke to Guilmon about it and he seems to believe that it had something to do with how he slept last night. He didn't elaborate however. It would seem Takato didn't want him speaking about it."

Rika's frown deepened, wondering what was going on now. "Great. One more complication I've got to worry about. Well, at least he gets out of school later than me. I won't have to worry about handling his mom _and _him at the same time. Let's get this over with."

Renamon took in her apparel and gave a light laugh, causing Rika to raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothing," the vulpine digimon smiled. "I just thought that you make quite the beautiful knight."

Rika scowled in confusion for a moment before the answer hit her. She glanced down briefly at herself and then rolled her eyes.

_I'm wearing Takato and Guilmon's colors when they biomerge into Gallantmon._

"Verrry funny, Renamon…

**###**

Bypassing Guilmon completely, Renamon deposited Rika in front of the bakery and within short order she marched to the main entrance. The automatic doors slid open with a sigh and a thunk, allowing her entry. She cast her violet-gaze about, finding herself once more basking in the warm, homely feel that the Matsuki establishment always had before shaking herself back to attention.

_Don't get caught up in it, _she thought, zeroing in on Takato's mother as she dealt with a customer at the register. _Don't forget why you're here._

In spite of herself, she found her heart picking up its pace. Never in her life would she have considered Takato's mother to be on the same level as a rampaging, wild digimon.

_Weird how parents can suddenly be like that, _she thought. Approaching the register, she waited patiently for Mie to finish up with her customer. She didn't have to wait long, and after a quick exchange of yen, the Matsuki matriarch turned towards her. Her professional, business smile slipped almost immediately and the concerned, parental look that Takato had seen thousands of times soon stole over her face.

"Rika…" she greeted awkwardly. "Um… Hello."

Rika bowed her head politely. "Mrs. Matsuki," she returned, her face heating up slightly. "I…" She paused, suddenly uncertain. She had initially planned out dozens of scenarios of how to approach Takato's mother about what happened, but now that the moment had arrived, doubts swarmed her.

_What if…we're not ready for this? What if we can't be together? What if we shouldn't?_

She shook herself mentally. No. She wanted this. Wanted to be with her gogglehead. She had enough of waiting and looking on from afar. And so did Takato.

_Just keep a level head, _she told herself. _A Tamer doesn't walk away from danger._

Oh, but it was still so strange to think of Mie as dangerous.

"I…wanted to talk to you about what happened last night," she resumed in a bolder voice, her eyes locking with Mie's. She watched as she pressed her lips together and the heat in her cheeks grew, feeling her scrutinizing gaze, weighing everything she knew about her. The seconds ticked by torturously and then Mie sighed.

"I was hoping to have to do this later," she admitted. "But I suppose there never is a 'better time' when it comes to this sort of thing. Takehiro!"

"What's up?" came the voice before the man popped his head out of the kitchen. Upon seeing Rika, his eyebrows rose. "Oh…"

_Oh great… _Rika blushed horribly, seeing that look. _So even _he _knows?!_

Untying her apron, Mie set it on the counter behind her.

"Rika and I need to have a talk," she told her husband. "Can you watch the register for me?"

"Sure," Takehiro nodded before adding, "Don't be too hard on her."

Mie scowled at her husband, but Takehiro gave a light laugh.

"I'm just saying that _we _were her age once."

"Takehiro!" Mie hissed, causing Rika to lift an eyebrow. Undaunted, her husband simply grinned and rubbed the back of his head in that typical Matsuki fashion that their son often did. Rika closed her fists, suddenly missing the boy.

"All right, all right," Takehiro laughed, stepping to the side. "I'll hold down the fort." He smiled at Rika in understanding and nodded. "Good luck."

Rika nodded back as she followed Mie into the living section of the bakery, the two of them entering the kitchen. Drawing back a chair, Rika sat herself down in it while Mie made her way over to the sink and flipped on the water.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked.

"No thanks," Rika shook her head. Mie busily began to fill up a pot anyway, if only to give herself something to do for a few moments while she collected her thoughts. Unfortunately, Rika was more prepared than she as she dove right into it. "Mrs. Matsuki… I love Takato."

Mie turned the water off, digesting that. A bold opening. Rika wasn't going to mince words or dance around the issue.

"Well…" she began carefully. "I didn't think you left your clothes in his bed if you were 'just friends."

An equally bold statement, and one that caused Rika to blush straight away. Mie wasn't going to pull her punches either.

"Love doesn't come easily for me," she frowned as Mie moved to set the kettle on the stove. "I have a hard time trusting people. I didn't trust your son when I first met him. I thought he was just a goofy little fanboy who didn't know what he was getting into."

Rika's frown soon turned on herself. Was she _really _helping her case? When she first met Takato, he was _exactly _as she described him.

Mie turned on the burner. "You wouldn't have been wrong," she said. "When he was a child, he was always sticking peas up his nose."

"Anyway, the point I'm making…wait, what?" Rika blinked, caught flatfooted by Mie's words. "Takato did _what?"_

"Oh, you know," Mie chuckled, taking out a tea bag. "Those little peculiarities that little boys get up to when they try to be funny. It worked with me at least. He always knew how to make me laugh even if cleaning him up afterward could be a bit of a pain." She turned towards Rika and smiled. "Don't worry. He grew out of that."

"I… Uh… Yeah, well, he'd better," Rika stammered out as Mie took out a couple of cups and set them on a tray.

"Oh? What would you do if he hadn't?" Mie asked, somewhat curious. Rika frowned again, not at all sure where this conversation was going or how it even landed on this topic to begin with.

"I'd get him to stop," she said finally. It didn't sound very strong, so she added, "I've always been pretty good at pulling his head out of the clouds. Like that time when the pig Deva was making a mess of the city. I got him out of his funk and he pulled through."

"He told me about that," Mie replied, her smile becoming wistful, glad to see that Takato hadn't been exaggerating Rika's influence on him because of his feelings towards her. Not that she thought that was the case. Takato tended to be honest to a fault. He could be silly at times and often got his head stuck in the clouds, but at least he was aware of it enough that he didn't normally fool himself the way some boys his age tended to.

"He thinks the world of you," she continued, turning away from the girl and back toward the brewing tea. "I do get a little worried though."

"No reason why you shouldn't," Rika said. "I mean, if I were a mom, I'd probably be worried sick."

Her mind drifted then, imagining herself building a family with Takato. She placed a hand on her belly, remembering their kiss and how she had pulled him to her tightly. How she felt an almost urgent need from both him and herself to go further. To share more of their love with one another more…_intimately. _

_It wouldn't be that hard to start making a family that way, _she thought, watching Mie as she stiffened. _Mom had me when she was pretty young. Grandma too, though she was a little bit older._

"I know how easy it would be for me to become a mom," she continued. "I…don't want you guys to worry. But I wouldn't have done what I did last night if I didn't trust Takato. He behaved himself. He didn't look. He didn't try to pressure me into anything." She _hmphed. _"He probably thinks I'd hit him if he did try. Not that he _would _or anything…"

"He _did _say something about you _popping him," _Mie said, her voice stiff, attempting to force humor into it. "Though he was more concerned about hurting you."

Rika opened her mouth to quip about how he should quit worrying about her breaking her knuckles on his thick skull, but the words died before they even reached her lips. She wouldn't hurt him like that, and that was because he was too worried about hurting her to put her in that situation. Her eyes softened, thinking about his stupid, always worrying heart.

"I bet he was," was all she said in response.

The teakettle began to whistle then, and Mie took it off the stove. Flipping off the burner, she proceeded to pour the tea in both cups and added the bags to them.

"It seems worrying is what he and I are best at," she said, sitting down across from Rika. "He gets it from me. His father always takes things on the chin, or make a joke. When that pig digimon was tearing up the neighborhood, all he had to say about it was how we had been thinking about redecorating."

She looked at Rika again, her gaze firm for a moment before she sighed heavily. "Well… It's like he said, even if he could have said it better. We were your age once. I just wish…" She shook her head and shakily took a sip from her tea. She wasn't at all sure how to continue. What _was _the best course of action here? She couldn't just forbid Rika from seeing Takato, nor did she want to. She liked Rika too much and saw how much the pair enjoyed each other's company.

"Maybe I'm being too hard on you two," she said, setting the cup down, frowning at her reflection. "But this isn't easy for me. I know he's grown up a lot, but to me he's still my little boy. And you…" She caught herself, almost speaking aloud her fear about the girl being a threat to her son's innocence, which wasn't fair. Rika stood to lose just as much as he did, if not more, when it came to her own innocence. "I just can't help but worry about the two of you," she continued instead. "You're both still so young after all."

Rika gazed at her offered cup and, finally, took it up and sipped from it. It tasted good with a hint of spice to it, just the way she liked.

_What am I going to say though? What can I say that will help her feel better about knowing what we might get up to?_

She narrowed her eyes. There was simply no way around it. No way of taking the sting out of it and make it easier to accept. She would just have to settle for being honest with her.

_Not like I'd really do anything different, _she thought.

"I'm not giving up on him," she said, earning her a raised eyebrow from the boy's mother. "I know the risks. I'm a Tamer. Takato also knows the risks, otherwise he wouldn't get so worked up about it." She met Mie's gaze levelly, her expression firm. "He wouldn't let me go when I fell of Locomon. Why should I be different?"

She balled her hands up into fists, remembering that day on her thirteenth birthday. How she had awoken from being possessed by the digimon Parasimon; awoken to find herself tumbling off the train digimon that had been its ride. She had only half a second to shout in surprise, reaching for Takato as he dove toward her and snatched hold of her by the hand. She felt the sharp pull of her weight on his shoulder – almost ripping it out of its socket – as Guilmon grabbed hold of the boy, jarring him in place to keep them both from falling off. He had clenched his teeth tightly to keep from crying out, and in spite of Guilmon's great strength, she knew that he couldn't hold them both for long.

Even today, she could still feel the wind that swept about her as she hung in midair with only her best human friend as her lifeline.

_"Let me go! If you don't, we'll both…!"_

_ "Idiot! I _know!"

Her breath had quickened at the memory and her hand – the one Takato had caught hold of – tightened, remembering the feel of his grasp; the pulse of his heart that throbbed within veins just beneath his skin. She had become all too painfully aware of his mortality and didn't want to risk his life, and yet he was willing to hold on, even if he went down with her.

_He's always been that way, _she thought quietly. _He might not be as graceful as Renamon, but it's the one thing they share in common. They keep fighting._

She felt a little better now. Her resolve felt stronger. She still wasn't sure about the details of their future – particularly where the growing intimacy between them was concerned – but she felt certain that she wasn't going to just quit because of the risk of parenthood.

_It's something we'll end up facing anyway, _she thought. _Even if we're not together in the future, we're becoming adults. Neither of us can hide from that. And we're Tamers. We don't run from danger._

She almost wanted to laugh at the notion of children being dangerous, but it didn't take long for the humor to die, replaced swiftly by seeds of doubt. Parenthood? Children? She felt a chill of fear run through her, thinking of all the times her mother – or even Takato's parents – had freaked out whenever they came home bloodied from their battles or ventured off into the digital world with nothing more than wishes of luck. How would _either _of them react?

_Or worse? _she thought, her hand loosening. _What happens if one of us gets killed? Or both of us?_

The thought, like a million others, hung there, but she clung to her resolve. These were things to think about later, but she wouldn't run from them, and she _certainly _wasn't going to run from Takato no matter how much trouble he gave her. Not as long as he stood by her.

_And he will, _she thought, again remembering the feel of his hand about hers on the roof of that long-ago train.

Mie's expression softened from its surprise and leaning forward, she placed a hand over Rika's, causing the girl to blink and look down at it in surprise.

"I'm not saying that you should give up on him just because I'm a worrywart," she said. "Just be careful. Both of you. Don't go rushing into anything. I know how kids your age can be. Now, let's leave it at that and move on to other things."

Rika looked at the older woman uncertainly as she retracted her hand, not at all sure if she had scored herself a victory or not. "L-Like what?" she asked, cursing herself for her nervous stammer.

Although her worries were still plainly apparent in her eyes, she found the strength and humor to smirk, and do so genuinely. "Aren't you the _least _bit curious about what other embarrassing things Takato did when he was a child? I'm sure we still have time to break out his baby pictures."

Rika felt heat rising up in her cheeks in response.

_Oh great… He's cute enough already. Do I really want to know how bad he was then?_

**###**

Takato made his way down the park path, adjusting the neck of his school uniform. His thoughts today were a jumbled mess, memories of last night being ever prominent on his mind. Which weighed more heavily, he couldn't be sure as the situation with his mother finding him with Rika's bra could at least be chalked up to an accident, as he had explained to her. Still, he feared that it made his mother look on her in a darker light and he had no idea how to change that.

And as for the other concern…

_I'm…not really worthy of her, _he thought, his face blushing at the recollection of his erotic dream. _I told her that I didn't have those kinds of dreams about her… Didn't think about her 'in that way' when I… _He coughed mentally and ran a hand through the thick bush of his hair. _Oh man… Rika._

He wished he could talk to her right now. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind at the moment. She was probably horrified and humiliated about what happened with his mother, and what made him feel even more horrible about it all was that in spite of it all, his body had _betrayed _him. It didn't seem to care any further than its own immediate pleasure.

And still worse… He had enjoyed it.

_I've got to talk to her after I talk to Mom, _he thought. _I've got to do better. I've got to prove that I can be better than…that._

He paused in place, looking skyward past the thick tangle of tree branches. Not for the first time did he wonder what it was she saw in him. He was always getting her into trouble it seemed and even without that he had a hard time believing that she could trust him.

_She's always talking about how I look at her, _he winced, remembering her teasing him yesterday and how unsettled she had been catching him in the act of masturbating._ How I'm supposed to look at her. If she knows I'm not good enough…why does she want to be with me?_

No answer came to him, and with a despondent sigh, he trudged on.

_How can I be better? _he wondered, thinking hard, trying to come up with ways that he could be the sort of person Rika would see as being 'good enough' to be worthy of her affections and being by her side. Being someone that she didn't have to worry about or be unsettled by. His porn. He supposed getting rid of that would be the perfect place to start, just like he did yesterday with that CD he found…

_ "Takato, you know you don't have to prove anything to me, right?"_

The memory of yesterday's date brought his thoughts to a standstill while his feet carried him forward. Did she really mean that?

_"Don't look at me like that, Takato. I'm just saying, you don't have to prove anything to me, so stop being a gogglehead about this stuff. It's _ _not _ _cute."_

_ This is really confusing, _he thought, exiting the park. _I've got to talk to her. Maybe… Maybe she can help me make sense of what I have to do to do right by her. I don't want to screw this up. I have to do whatever I can to make her happy._

Clenching a hand into a tight fist, he pumped the air with it determinedly.

_Maybe I should also start wearing more button-up shirts? _he pondered, crossing the street. _I mean, she never says anything, but sometimes when I'm in my uniform she gives me a look like she likes what she sees…_

Around and around his thoughts went, coming up with ideas and turning them over in his mind. He didn't think many of them were all that cracked up though, something that didn't help his spirits all that well. Drawing closer to home, his pace quickened, feeling more and more that he had to speak to his mother again about last night, hopefully smooth things over and then contact Rika.

_I should take her somewhere, _he thought.

_"Takatooo!"_

"Bu-wha…?" Takato jerked out of his reverie at the nasally, childish voice and whirled about just in time to find Guilmon running toward him, the bakery's advertisement flapping against his stomach. A smile broke across his face. "Guilmon!"

"You're finally home!" Guilmon proclaimed, throwing his claws up into the air happily. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Lonely day, boy?" Takato asked, placing a hand on his partner's head, his anxiety taking a backseat for the time being.

"Not quite," came the voice of Renamon, materializing next to the dinosaur, who beamed up at her happily.

"Renamon!" Takato exclaimed in surprise.

"She's been keeping me company while Rika and your mom have been talking!" Guilmon explained, to which Takato twitched, his confusion growing while his anxiety suddenly surged back to the forefront of his mind.

"R-Rika?! She's here? _Now!"_

"Having a discussion with your mother, yes," Renamon nodded. "I believe tea is involved as well."

Takato felt as though he were becoming dizzy. His alarm rising, he turned toward the bakery. "I-I've got to see her!" he said, dashing towards his home.

"Huh? But Takato!" Guilmon called, only for Renamon to place a hand on his outstretched arm. Looking up at her questioningly, he saw her shake her head at him.

"Let them be," she said. "This is something that should be sorted out."

"Ohhh… Okay," Guilmon said. "Things will be okay, won't they?"

Renamon closed her eyes, a small smile touching her muzzle.

"Only time will tell," she said. "But I feel this at least is a bullet they dodged."

**###**

Takato shot past the parting automatic doors of the bakery to find Rika standing at the register, passing some yen to Takehiro, a bag of creampuffs in her hand. Turning at the sound of the door opening, her violet-eyes lighted upon the boy and she _hmphed, _turning away, waiting for Takehiro to complete their transaction. Takato swallowed as he approached.

_Okay, that's a bad sign, _he thought, his eyes flickering over to his father for some clue as to what transpired between Rika and his mother. The man, however, busily counted out her change.

"Well, well, well," Rika began as he drew abreast to her. "Look who finally decided to show up." She folded her arms across her chest, still not looking at him. "About time you got here."

"S-Sorry," Takato apologized. _Oh man… What happened between them? Did they fight?_

It didn't seem possible. The atmosphere of the bakery was fairly calm and his father was chipper, yet Rika was giving him something of a cold shoulder. All in all, not good.

"Here you go, Rika," Takehiro smiled, handing her the change, which Rika took and pocketed. "Pleasure to have you here, as always."

Rika's face softened a bit at that and she glanced over at Takato before hardening once more. Folding her arms together, she lowered her head slightly, scowling at the elder Matsuki. Takato felt an alarm bell go off in his head, his imagination quickly imagining a thousand scenarios – most of them bad – as to what was about to happen next.

Not even his imagination could prepare him for what Rika was about to say.

"Mr. Matsuki, do you mind if I borrow him for a bit? I know he just got home, but…" She faced the boy once more, her eyes chilling. "…I think I'd like it if he walked me home for a change."

"Say wha…?" Takato balked, taken completely aback by this unexpected behavior. _What… What did Mom _do _to her?! Wait! Where _is _Mom?_

Grinning at the exchange, Takehiro ran a hand along his chin and nodded. "Sure. I've got no problem with it."

"I don't either," came the voice of Mie as she stepped into the room, drawing the attention of both teens. Her eyes were fixated on Takato and stern. "But you make sure that you come home as soon as you've seen her off. No dawdling or anything like that, is that understood Takato?"

"Ah… Yes ma'am?" Takato replied, not sure what other response could be said. The turnaround was so unexpected that he almost didn't notice Rika taking hold of him by the hand until she squeezed.

"Can't guarantee him back in one piece," she said with a dry chuckle, tugging him in the direction of the door. "But I promise he'll come back."

**###**

"What was that all about?"

Rika lifted an eyebrow as she took out a creampuff and popped it into her mouth.

"What was what about?"

Takato pointed in the direction of his rapidly receding home and then at her, mouth working to form coherent words with regards to his feelings and confusion about her antics, but none were particularly forthcoming. Rika shrugged, getting the gist of it anyway. After this long, she had learned how to read Takato's flustering when he found himself at a loss for words. Frustrating at times, but also fun as well, as it was something like a game.

"Your mom and I had a talk," she said simply before giving him a hard look. "And then I had to sit through half an hour of her showing me your baby pictures."

Takato felt a tint of heat bloom in his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Oh. Oh man, she showed you the pea one, didn't she? I swear, that was a phase and it didn't last long!"

Rika _hmphed _and popped another creampuff into her mouth before wrapping up the bag tightly to discourage anxious eating. Truth be told, it hadn't been that bad an experience and it had helped smooth out the ruffled feathers between herself and his mother. She wasn't much for reminiscing about other people's pasts, but it had been…_interesting _finding out what Takato was like in the years before they met. It left her wondering how different things might have been had they known each other before becoming Tamers.

She scowled slightly, remembering one in particular of the mop-haired youth, grinning lopsidedly with a new gap between his teeth from where one had fallen out. An accident from a swing set, but the boy had bounced back up with his usual energy it seemed.

_Stupid… You just _had _to be _cute, _didn't you?_

"Well, either way, things are all fixed now," she continued, once more taking his hand into hers. "So, you can stop fussing about it and relax. Knowing you, that's all you could think about today, huh?"

Takato's thoughts paused on that, thinking of last night. The dream. His mother stumbling on him with Rika's bra in his hand. His eyes softened, guilt pinging inside his heart. Rika frowned, sensing something amiss. She tightened her grip about his hand.

"Gogglehead… _Takato." _She placed emphasis on his real name to make sure she got his attention. His eyes turned towards her and after a quick searching of her violet gaze he offered her a wan smile, trying to comfort her.

"Sorry," he apologized, for once grateful that Guilmon had stayed behind so as to not find some way to blurt out any more of last night's details. "I was just thinking about how I could work on being better for you. I…ah…seem to trip you up a lot."

Rika eyed him carefully for a moment before allowing a small smirk to grace her lips. "Yeah," she agreed, not sure what he was holding back on her. Whatever it was, she sensed it would take time to tease out him. "Lucky for you I like a good challenge."

Memories of her conversation with Takato's mother flashed through her mind, yet she found herself drawing Takato closer to her until their hips pressed against one another. With a contented sigh, she brought her head to rest against his. She giggled, feeling him go rigid, struck by this unexpected display of affection.

"R-Rika, what…?" he began to stammer out, but she quieted him with a squeeze of his hand.

"What?" she asked in a teasing voice. "Doesn't your dream girl do this in your fantasies? Because I thought that's what you told me."

She heard Takato make a quiet, choking sound as she felt the temperature of his body go up several degrees. However, he quickly mastered himself, and swallowing, he squeezed her hand back.

"But what about you?" he asked softly, yet full of tension. "What does your dream boy do for you?"

Rika felt a flash of heat, remembering last night and her own imaginary pleasures. Yet, she didn't answer, save for a sudden tightening of her grasp about his.

"Stupid Gogglehead," she laughed with quiet nervousness as they walked down the street, hand in hand, ignoring the world around them.

Upon nearing the park, Rika began to hum.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while. I had an idea for where to go next for quite a while, but at the time lacked the interest in pursuing it (though I did jot down ideas and short scenes every now and then to see where things would go). Finding myself with considerable amount of time now I figured I could work on bringing everything together and flesh it all out. Without further ado, I present to you the next, and overdue, chapter of 'Seeing Red.'

Rika's back _thumped _against the wall of her closet and she curled a finger towards her, beckoning Takato to approach her. The boy, who stood on the other side of the room, face flaming red, swallowed nervously and began to approach as requested. Her legs spreading slightly, her hands slipped down and took hold of the hem of her jeans. One of the two buttons popped open and she spread the flaps apart, revealing bare skin and crimson hair within. Takato's eyes fell upon the sight and she saw him almost freeze up in shock and amazement.

Rika wasn't having any of that.

"Don't stop now, Takato," she said, a tone of false annoyance in the smirk on her face. "We're not at the good part yet."

His eyes broke away at her voice and he hurried the rest of the way to her. He folded her into his arms and their lips met one another in a passionate kiss. Rika shook, her hands fumbling with his pants. More. She _needed _more. Her lips parted and she pressed against him all the harder. Her fingers slipped inside and she felt the smooth hardness of his length. Drawing out his member, she pressed it against her jeans and jerked her hips against it with needy urgency.

"Takato…" she gasped around his mouth before he pressed against her once more, causing her back to _thump _against the wall once more. She groaned eagerly, heat washing over her body. Finding the opening that led into her pants, she carefully guided him inside where the head of his penis pushed into the tangle of red hair before gliding upwards against her stomach. His legs slipping about hers while his hands caressed her back, he began to hump against her. One stroke. Two strokes. Rika felt the passion rise up within her as a pleasant swelling _tightened _within her. She gasped in ecstasy at his hammering, her heart pounding, sending a flood of hormones surging through her veins. Something powerful hovered at just the edge of her senses for one long moment before it came crashing down upon her, smashing the swelling tension that lay between her legs. She gave a loud, pleasurable cry and something wet and warm flooded her pants.

The dream dissolved just then, leaving her gasping for air and staring at a spot of sunlight peeking through the crack of her bedroom door. A pair of white furred feet materialized into view and Rika looked up, confused as to what was going on. She was in her room just as before, but Takato wasn't there. She was in her futon, and one arm lay wrapped about it in a haphazard fashion, squishing it to her as tight as possible. Her lips felt dry and fuzzy from kissing the pillow, and her other arm at some point during the night had slipped between her legs and snuggled there. Her thighs were locked about it tight, ensuring that escape was impossible.

Her pajama bottoms also had a slight, damp spot where her arm lay trapped.

"That sounded like you had a good dream," Renamon said. Rika looked up and sudden realization hit her like a truck. With a disgusted, embarrassed growl, she kicked herself out of her futon and, upon disentangling herself, punted it away from her. Renamon tilted her head to one side questioningly, watching the girl stomp her way over to her clothing wrack where her clothes for the day were laid out.

"Rika…" she began, only for her Tamer to shoot her a glare, face burning tomato red.

"I _don't _want to hear it!"

"Rika, this is not the first time this has happened," the vulpine digimon remarked, picking up the girl's futon and folding it up. "And as I've been given to understand, it's perfectly normal."

Rika made a low, grumbling noise that didn't sound at all like she agreed with her partner.

"Stupid hormones… Stupid puberty…" Her pajamas were thrown roughly onto the floor as Rika quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid _wet dreams!"

Renamon sighed, placing the futon away. There was no getting through to Rika while she was like this. The best thing to do was to simply wait until her temper burned itself out.

Rika made another growling noise and a second later the bra she had been putting on quickly joined her pajamas on the floor.

"Stupid _bras _that don't fit!"

Throwing on her shirt, she stomped out of her bedroom. Without a single word, Renamon picked up the abandoned clothes. Her nose twitched slightly as she did so and she sighed again in wonder at how her partner could get so wound up over something so simple.

"Well, at least it _was _a good dream," she said softly, placing the pajamas into the hamper to be washed.

**###**

Rika threw herself in the bathroom and locked the door. Her breath came out heavy, like a bull considering making a charge. Closing her eyes, she made an effort to settle down and, for a wonder, it worked.

"Well…_that _was immature," she berated herself. She didn't feel any better for the acknowledgement – she rarely liked seeing herself as anything less than perfectly composed – but it helped bring her thoughts into focus.

Stepping away from the door, she went proceeded to strip back down so she could rinse herself off. Steam rose from the tub, already full as programmed. She sighed despondently. It had been quite some time since she last had a dream like that. They were rather rare for her, but when they came, they were always powerful and very lifelike in feel. The first one hit her at the tail end of thirteen and had _alarmed _Renamon, who not only had zero experience with human puberty, but no practical knowledge of what it entailed. So, when Rika had cried out in the throes of her first orgasm…

Rika set out the bathroom stool and sat down on it, humiliated heat flushing the length of her body. _Real mature _indeed, as Renamon, once she understood what happened, had been completely understanding and didn't judge her in the least.

_"I'm sorry, Renamon," _she thought, reaching out to her partner through the psychic connection that they shared.

_"It's quite all right, Rika," _came the response, and with it a flood of relief.

_"No. It's _not _all right. I shouldn't have reacted that way. You can pay me back."_

_ "There's no reason to 'pay you back' for anything. I understand this is a difficult time for you. Like any battle, one must roll with the punches until they find a way to win."_

A small smile crossed Rika's lips. Leave it to Renamon to speak to her in a language she could understand.

_"You got that right," _she thought, withdrawing from their link. Taking up the bowl, she filled it up and poured it over herself. Shaking her head, she sent small droplets of water spraying about her. Her crimson hair clung tightly to her face. Turning, she looked at herself in the mirror and her eyes dropped down to her bosom.

She frowned, remembering another irritation.

_Speaking of battles… There's one I'm going to have to deal with sooner than I'd like._

Getting up, she stepped into the tub and sunk down into the water.

_Stupid breasts, _she growled irritably.

**###**

Renamon stood outside the changing room, arms folded together. She was aware of the looks she was receiving from customers and store attendants. And no wonder. A fox digimon in a lingerie store would, of course, stand out anywhere. She normally wouldn't, but Rika _insisted _upon her presence. And as the girl wasn't too keen on the idea of her partner always having to hide who she was since becoming a part of her family, transformation was also out of the question.

_Not that I mind, _she thought, blue eyes turning as the curtain Rika lay behind ruffled and a hand emerged.

"Renamon? I…need your help with this one."

Slipping her claws past the curtain, the vulpine digimon readily found the troublesome article of clothing. Needing no guide from her eyes – a talent nurtured in the early years of her partner's puberty – the bra came free and there followed a sigh of relief from its former wearer.

"Rejecting that one," the girl said. "Next."

A small smile touching her lips, Renamon took up the next brassiere and passed it along. It took only a second for Rika's head to poke out, her eyebrows knotted in annoyance.

_"Really, _Renamon?"

The kitsune gave a light mental chuckle while retaining an 'innocent' expression. "Given recent events, I didn't think you would have been opposed."

"I'm _not _wearing a _pushup bra!" _Rika growled, ducking back behind the curtain once more. A moment later, the bra in question was thrust out at Renamon, who took it and set it aside with some amusement.

"Apologies. Given your enjoyment of certain _reactions _of his, I had thought that you would prefer flustering him in this manner as well. I am sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

There came a pause behind the curtain, and Renamon closed her eyes, envisioning her partner racked in indecision, weighing the pros and cons of provoking the sort of reactions from Takato that she enjoyed seeing. No doubt, she was considering the possibility of her lover-boy's meltdowns were just tempting enough to put up with any potential downsides.

"Renamon…" she finally said. "You can be so awful sometimes, you know that?"

"Should I see if a plunge bra is available then?"

_"Renamon!"_

The fox digimon gave a barely audible laugh at her partner's embarrassment. While she didn't always understand the ins and outs of bras and breasts, she had to admit that the affects they had on humans could be quite amusing.

"Are you…finding everything all right?" came the voice of a store employee, peeking from around the corner. Smiling reassuringly, Renamon nodded just as Rika thrust a hand through the curtain, brassiere in hand.

"A new pair of breasts would help," she grumbled. "Especially something smaller. Do you happen to have any?"

"Um…" The employee blushed brightly, but she shook her head. "If…If you'd like, we have someone who can help you find a proper fit…"

"No," came the stern reply, to which Renamon sighed mentally at her stubbornness.

"All right…" The employee's eyes flickered over to Renamon before bowing politely. "We'll be available in case you change your mind."

With that, the woman hurried away, leaving Renamon to cast a hard look at the curtain.

"What?" Rika asked from behind it, having sensed the vixen's gaze through their psychic link.

"Should I point out that her offer of assistance would have shortened this trip?" Renamon took up another bra and pushed it into the changing room, where Rika promptly took it up and began to test fit it. "I know how much you dislike shopping and…trying on certain articles of clothing."

"I don't want someone else's hands on me when I don't know them," Rika grumbled.

"Perhaps _I _should be the one trying on clothes for you then?" Renamon offered. "Mimicking your appearance is easy enough now, and I could have you measured without…"

"I _especially _don't want anyone touching _you,"_ came the even fiercer response followed by the dull _thump _of the wall being kicked. Renamon sighed. Rika's temper was the stuff of legends, and always flared over the smallest of things. Fitting herself for clothing always annoyed her, a problem that magnified as she grew older and more developed. Furthermore, her insistence on refusing help only made things worse due to the sheer amount of time it took doing it on her own.

Rika's hand thrust back through the curtain, holding out the bra she had been trying on.

"Next," she said curtly.

**###**

Rika and exited the store, her bag slung over her shoulder and Renamon following behind. She ground her teeth against each other. She hated shopping. Hated having to take time out of her day to do something she didn't care for. Worst of all, hated having to shop for things like underwear.

_At least it's over, _she told herself, hoping to take the edge off her frustration. _All that's left for me is to go home and pretend this day never existed._

She _hmphed _instinctively at that. _Yeah right. Pretending is more Gogglehead's specialty._

She felt as though she should be angry again, yet thinking of Takato brought a smile to her face once more. She began to wonder if she ought to pay him a visit. Tease him a little and get him all flustered and blushing. It would certainly go a long way toward making her feel better, and she had a feeling he'd be appreciative of it now that they were together.

_W-Without the pushup bra though! _she told herself with surprising force as heat crossed her cheeks. _That…That one's for special occasions!_

When that 'special occasion' would be, she didn't know. With how embarrassed she was, she didn't believe there was _ever _going to be one. Already she was regretting allowing Renamon to plant that particular seed in her mind. If her mother or grandmother ever found it…

_Stupid… I can't believe how _stupid_ I was for buying that! Why did I let her get under my skin and…and…_

_ "Rika!"_

Rika gave a cry of surprise at the familiar voice. Caught halfway between storming toward the mall's exit and kicking the floor in the process, her foot caught and would have tripped her up if not for Renamon catching her by the arm. Nodding a flustered 'Thanks', she turned to find the source of the call and quickly spied Jeri Katou hurrying toward her, waving cutely. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Rika hid her bag and its contents ever so slightly behind her leg for Renamon to take. Quickly picking up on her intentions, the vulpine digimon took the bag and stepped behind her, ensuring that it would be outside of Jeri's sight.

"J-Jeri…" Rika coughed, cursing herself for her stutter. Smiling sweetly, Jeri drew up and bowed politely to both her and Renamon.

The years, Rika felt, had been kind to the girl. The pain that she had in her eyes since the death of her digimon partner, Leomon, had taken on a much softer edge that mixed well with the open and honest happiness that she had for the world around her. It gave her a kind of wisdom that, at times, reminded her of Renamon.

_If Renamon tried to be cute and entertained kids with sock puppet plays that is, _Rika thought. Almost straight away, her mind began to envision one such scene, only to quickly banish it with a shudder.

_Takato… You're having too much of an influence on me…_

"I'm so glad I saw you," Jeri beamed. "How are you doing?"

Rika shrugged nonchalantly, doing her best to ignore the presence of her recent shopping spree. "Well enough," she replied a bit stiffly. She gave the girl a quick once over and grimaced mentally, feeling an odd sense of inadequacy in the presence of Takato's first love. She wanted to kick herself for feeling that way – especially where Jeri was concerned whom she counted as one of her best friends after Renamon and Takato. Yet the feeling was there all the same. While she was far from the kinds of girls that Rika knew at her school and saw around the city, she still wore fairly feminine outfits, with a long, sweeping skirt of green and a fluffy, sun-yellow shirt emblazoned with the image of a sparkling, red heart. The sleeves were slightly puffy along the shoulders as well, thin and silk smooth. In short, Jeri and Rika were as opposite as two people could be despite the close friendship they shared with one another.

It left her wondering, briefly, what it was that Takato saw in her. Jeri had been his first love after all and was everything she herself wasn't.

_Easy there, _she told herself, curling her fingers into her palms. _Don't be stupid over a boy._

"How about you?" Rika asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Getting a few things together," Jeri replied, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I'm planning on taking a bit of a break this weekend from studying." Her expression wilted slightly and she heaved a heavy sigh. "I didn't realize becoming a teacher was so hard. But…" She took a deep, determined breath just then and nodded, her eyes becoming fierce. "…I know I can do it!"

"I know you can." Rika smiled slightly at the girl's optimism. _After all the things you've been through, becoming a teacher should be a walk in the park, _she added mentally."Have you figured out what grade you're going to teach yet?"

"No, not yet," Jeri admitted, looping an arm through Rika's and steering her through the crowd, circling her back _into _the depths of the mall. "But I've been thinking a little about going into the fifth year." She pressed her lips together, her expression becoming suddenly serious. "Who knows? I might end up teaching the next generation of Tamers. If that happens, I might be able to help them."

Rika gave a light chuckle as Jeri led her along, becoming more relaxed as they went on. "I bet you'll get a gogglehead as annoying as ours is."

"Don't you mean _cute?" _Jeri teased, giving Rika's arm a slight squeeze. The taller girl rolled her eyes at this, yet a light blush crossed her features.

"Yeah, okay, cute too," she grumbled. "Just don't go telling anyone I said that."

"Cross my heart," Jeri giggled. "But speaking of which…how are things going between you two? Have you _finally _gotten around to confessing to him yet?"

Rika cursed, realizing she hadn't told Jeri that they had actually been a couple for some weeks now.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she said. Jeri scowled.

"Did he do something?"

"What? No! He… Oh, for goodness sake! We're together! Are you happy?"

She glowered at Jeri, but the smaller girl didn't wither in the least as any of her other friends – save for Kazu and Henry – would. Instead, she pressed all the more tightly to her.

"You're _together?!" _Jeri squealed happily. "Oh, I _knew _you could do it! How did it happen? Did he say something? Did you confess?" She paused, and a frown briefly marred her features, a thought occurring to her. "Why don't you sound happy?"

"Because I knew you'd be doing what you're doing right now and make a big deal out of it."

"But it _is _a big deal," Jeri huffed. "For you anyway. Besides. Can't I be happy for my friends?"

Rika sighed. "You can. Just…don't make a fuss about it. And don't go blabbing about it to Kazu or Terriermon. I don't need them making a big deal about it either."

Jeri's frown deepened slightly. "You know they will anyway. We _all _know how you two feel about each other. Don't you think it'd be better if they did know? They might lighten up."

Rika grimaced. The thought was tempting, especially where Terriermon was concerned, but at the same time familiar ground felt far safer to be on than new, unproven terrain. Who knew _what _sort of things Kazu or Terriermon might get up to once they found out about her and Takato's budding relationship? She didn't want that ruined.

As if sensing Rika's thoughts, Renamon chimed in as well. "Rika, they're going to find out about it eventually. Wouldn't it be better to just get it out of the way?"

"Oh, fine. _Fine." _Rika rolled her eyes, annoyed that her partner was taking Jeri's side in this argument. "But _only _if it comes up, got it?"

"I can live with that," Jeri giggled. "Sooo…"

Rika's eye twitched, detecting her friend's curiosity for details.

"No."

"But… Rika…"

"I said 'no.'" She felt a familiar blush growing in her cheeks again. "What happens between me and Takato is our business and no one else's."

"Spoil sport," Jeri huffed. "Fine. I won't pry. But if you ever need to talk to me or if you need advice, I'm here. I know Takato pretty well and I get the feeling _you _will need all the help you can get with him."

"We're managing," Rika replied, though she winced slightly at Takato's recent rash of erratic behavior. While nothing serious, she had picked up on a touch of guilt in him, similar to how he reacted during their second date, when they walked in on Guilmon playing a porn movie.

"'Managing,' huh?" Jeri lifted a hand and formed it into a dog's head, her pinky and index fingers representing a pair of perky ears. _"Rrruff!" _she barked, her thumb dropping like a dog's mouth. _"That's Rika's way of saying that something's bothering her and she doesn't want to talk about it even though if she did she'd solve whatever's bothering her!"_

"Stupid puppet…" Rika scowled while Renamon chuckled lightly.

"Her puppet is usually correct, Rika." The vulpine digimon looked at Jeri approvingly. "You've gotten better. I almost didn't notice your lips moving."

Jeri beamed happily at this compliment and giggled.

Rika fumed for a moment, but she couldn't really argue with Jeri's assessment. Part of the reason why it took her so long to even ask Takato out on a date was due to the fact that she tended to push away things that dealt with her feelings. She liked Takato a great deal and for far longer than she cared to admit, but those feelings also scared her, as they had before when she first became partnered with Renamon.

Change…worried her, and the familiar was far better, or at least _easier _to deal with. For the longest time she hadn't known what she wanted with regards to Takato, but she knew she wanted something _more _than what they had at the time. That _more, _however, came with risks. Risks she worried about back when she finally made up her mind to _do _something about her feelings. The risk of losing her friendship with the gogglehead she came to care about. This fear had reached an almost panic level when Takato and Jeri had broken up, but seeing how the two of them maintained their friendship in spite of that, she had relaxed a little.

Only a little though. As she noted herself, she wasn't like Jeri, or even Takato in that regard. She took things a little more personally.

She found herself broken out of her thoughts as she realized where Jeri had been dragging her to. A clothing store.

_"Please _tell me we're not going in there."

"Why not? We're catching up and I was heading there anyway to get a new swimsuit."

"Rika had just left that particular store," Renamon pointed out, hefting the bag that contained the parade of bras within. Rika flushed lightly, remembering the _one _member of its contents.

"What do you need a new swimsuit for?" Rika grumbled, hoping to deflect attention away from her purchases. Jeri giggled.

"For the _beach, _silly! I've been getting a hold of everyone that I could so we could all go there as a group like we used to before everything became so busy!" Her eyes became cat-like slits and she smiled at Rika coyly. "I was going to ask Takato if he wanted to go, but if you would rather instead…"

"Why would I want to go to the beach for?" Rika asked. "I burn up there easily."

"Oh, don't be like that! We'll bring umbrellas and sunscreen. You could have Takato put the sunscreen on you!"

"Jeri…" Rika groaned, flushing mightily as they crossed the threshold into the store. She was too late however to prevent her friend from planting the image into her head. Already her imagination began to run away from her, seeing Takato leaning over her, his hands pressed to her smooth skin and rubbing the lotion along her back and down near her derriere.

_That… That wouldn't work! _she stammered out mentally, trying to force her imagination to halt in its tracks. _I've got a one-piece swimsuit!_

Her brain, as predicted, responded by pointing out she could purchase a two-piece. That way, she could untie the string to her bikini and lay on her front while Takato…

_Okay, you _really _need to stop doing that! _she berated herself while shaking her head mentally.

"This is a _bad _idea… Besides, it's not even _summer _yet!"

"It's near enough," Jeri pointed out, pulling her down in the direction of the swimsuit aisle. "And I'd like to see you all before I take summer courses." Breaking away from her friend, Jeri's eyes softened and she began to peruse through articles of clothes, searching for a style that suited her best.

"You're not taking time off?"

Jeri shook her head. "When I began studying to be a teacher, I saw how much I had to do to get ready. I can't afford to take time off. Not this year anyway."

Rika was silent for a moment, feeling amazed at Jeri's desire – her passion for her chosen line of work – before she joined her in the quest for an appropriate swimsuit. Seeing this, Jeri raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a yes?"

"It is," Rika nodded. "I'm probably going to need a new swimsuit anyway. That's why I was here earlier. I'm…" She blushed lightly. "…still growing it seems."

Jeri gave her a sympathetic look. "I know just what you mean," she said softly. Rika made a grumbling noise at this.

_"You _at least don't mind the attention. I do."

"You mean as long as it's not coming from Takato."

"I wouldn't be able to get Takato to look at me if I stripped down naked," Rika grumped, though she couldn't quite deny Jeri's observation there either. While she didn't enjoy being _gawked _at, Takato was a different story altogether. She couldn't quite put her finger on the why of it, but she found herself feeling that she wouldn't mind a little of that kind of attention from the boy.

_I wonder how he would react to seeing me naked, _she found herself wondering before scowling down at herself.

"Stupid Gogglehead," she muttered irritably. Jeri gave a light laugh.

"I _knew _there was trouble," she said, picking up a green outfit that had a fluffy, almost petal-like skirt about it.

"You're imagining things then."

"I don't think sooo…" Jeri sang, miming her dog puppet again. "The puppy knows."

"Sure, it does," Rika _hmphed, _setting down a top that, upon further inspection, revealed far too much than she was comfortable with. _At least it has the right color, _she thought.

Jeri inspected the swimsuit in her hands for a moment before glancing over at Renamon. "Um… Could you…? I mean, is it okay?"

"Quite," the vulpine digimon replied with a bow. A crawl of TV snow passed over her and the kitsune's form shifted, becoming a near-perfect duplicate of Jeri Katou. Smiling in gratitude, Jeri held the swimsuit up to her, contemplating it. Rika eyed the duo before picking up the threads of conversation.

"It's my mom," she began. "She's already making noise about marriage. She even went through Takato's family tree to make him 'look better' to my relatives."

Jeri turned toward her with a raised eyebrow before setting the swimsuit down and taking up another one that was black with red trim.

"A little premature, but…Takato's the only person you've ever shown an interest in. I'll admit, I have a hard time imagining you with anyone else. You don't seem interested in _wanting _anyone else."

Rika's hands paused in their search, contemplating that. There was certainly an element of truth there. While she had certainly felt attracted to other boys and even the occasional girl, she never thought about them the way she did about Takato. Even _Ryo, _the refreshing breath of air that he was, didn't do much of anything for her. Could her mother be aware of that quirk of hers and just be looking to get ahead so there weren't any complications later?

"It's annoying. I don't know if I even _want _to get married."

Jeri hummed thoughtfully, holding another swimsuit up to Renamon, this time, a two-piece that was yellow with white, lacy trim on the corners that gave them the appearance of a pair of butterflies.

"Well… You never know," Jeri pointed out. "You might feel differently in a couple of years. You've only just started dating. Give it some time. You might like it as long as it's to Takato after all."

Rika pressed her lips together tightly.

"With how he gets all worked up, I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Jeri asked as Rika trailed off. The Digimon Queen closed her eyes.

"Wonder about…_us. _About what we might do in the future." Her blush returned full force now and Rika avoided Jeri's gaze, hoping that she'd just get the message. Jeri cocked an eyebrow in confusion and glanced at Renamon questioningly. Something seemed to pass between them and Jeri's mouth became one large 'O' in realization.

"Okay, I thought _I _was your partner, Renamon."

"Jeri and I share no link," the kitsune replied, and Rika felt a shiver pass down her spine at her friend's voice coming out the matter-of-factly manner that was common with her partner. "But we both know you quite well."

"What is _that _supposed to mean?" Rika asked turning towards them and planting an annoyed hand on her hip.

"Just that you're easy to read sometimes," Jeri giggled behind a blush. "I…I wouldn't worry that much about Takato. I know he can be a bit of a worrywart, but you know that in the end, he'll stand up for you. And he'll do it because he loves you despite whatever he's worrying about."

Rika's eyes turned away, frowning darkly in thought. Her own concerns remained, but she wondered if she was making a bigger deal out of them than they truly were. Takato worried. He was _always _going to worry, but in the long years of their friendship he did do right by her despite that hang up.

_But things are different now, _she thought, remembering his odd behavior when he walked her home. _He's got something going on in that goggle-headed brain of his. Knowing him, it's got something to do with what happened when I first asked him out on a date._

It felt logical, nor could she blame him for it, or for being shook up _again _when Guilmon played a porn video at the start of their second date. No doubt he was afraid that he wasn't actually worthy of her.

_"But what about you?" _she remembered him saying to her._ "What does your dream boy do for you?"_

_ What…_do_ I want with him? To do with him?_

She remembered their kiss and she closed her eyes, losing herself to its memory. Her hands tightened about a swimsuit top and she envisioned her hand holding his, squeezing it. All the things she felt for him… All the things she wanted… It all came down to that. His presence. The trust she had in him.

"That's a cute one," Jeri hummed, looking over her shoulder. "It matches your digivice too."

"Yeah…" Rika acknowledged before, taking up the two-piece. She had made her decision.

"I'll get this one," she said, blushing a little. This was more skin than she had dared show before, even when she went to ask Takato out the first time.

_We're just going to have to get used to things, _she thought to herself. _I'm not going to let any nervousness mess things up between us. _

She swallowed, feeling nervous all the same. This was a bit of a big step for her. She wondered how Takato would react.

_With any luck, like his usual goofball self and just get flustered, _she thought. That was good. She could deal with that as long as she was controlled it. And, hopefully, from there, get Takato to settle down and _relax. _After all, she didn't do this for anyone, so Takato shouldn't have _any _reason to think himself unworthy of her.

At least, that's what she hoped to accomplish anyway.

"Jeri, are you rea…?" she began, turning, only to pause as she saw her partner, having now dropped back to her natural appearance, holding the top to a blue bikini up to herself. Her eyes turned up toward Rika, curious. Remembering to pick her jaw up from off the floor, Rika shook her head and planted a hand on her hip once again. "What are you doing?"

"I was just considering whether to wear something that matches you at the beach," she said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Jeri giggled.

"I think it looks cute on you."

Rika groaned.

**###**

_"Yeah, I think going to the beach would be a great idea!" _came Takato's voice from Rika's phone as they chatted. She turned the page in the doujinshi that Jeri had lent her following their outing – a non-sexual one for a change – and smiled. Takato sounded better today, meaning he either got over whatever funk he was in or he had been busy with something that distracted his worrying thoughts. Either one was good as it made setting things up easier.

"This Sunday then," Rika said. There was an affirmation on the other end, and Rika nodded. Renamon phased into view at her door, and seeing her, the Digimon Queen held up a finger, requesting a second to finish things up. "Okay," she said. "Looks like I've got to go. Catch you later then."

With that, she hung up and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Everything all settled?" Renamon asked.

"Yeah, looks like. Unless the D-Reaper shows up or something, it should be a relaxing day at the beach." She knotted her face up and tilted her head at her partner. "I still can't believe you actually bought that thing."

"I could say the same for you," Renamon replied, allowing a small smile to grace her muzzle. Rika's cheeks darkened.

"Yeah, but…I need them," she said, embarrassed.

"You'll need this too," the kitsune said, bowing her head slightly. Rika's head snapped up at that.

"What do you mean?"

_"Rika!" _came the call of Seiko from the dining area. _"Renamon! Dinner's ready!"_

"See you there," Renamon said, vanishing from view.

"Yeah… See you there." Rika frowned at the spot her partner had vacated, wondering what she had in mind before turning her attention over toward the bag of garments that sat in the corner of her room, still not put away. Getting up, she started toward the door, only to pause. Curiosity seizing her, she made her way over to the bag and rutted through it. Drawing up the pushup bra she had purchased, she held it aloft by its strap before threading both hands through it and standing up. She drew her arms through the loops experimentally and held it against her chest. It didn't fit right, but then, she still had her shirt on, but the effect was definitely noticeable. Her eyes narrowed as crimson began to once more stain her cheeks.

"Stupid…" she muttered to herself, hastily shrugging the bra off and shoving it back into the bag. She buried it as far into the bottom as it could go where, hopefully, it would remain undiscovered, and quickly headed off to have dinner.

_Tomorrow's another day, _she told herself.


	8. Chapter 8

"Nine…"

Takato grunted as he pushed himself off the floor. The muscles in his arms groaned in protest but did not falter to his commands. Upon reaching his limit, he held himself still for a moment before dropping back down, elbows bent and back straight. Centering his mind, he took a breath and forced himself up again.

"Ten…" he choked out.

"Up and down Takato went while Guilmon watched him in rapt fascination.

"Takato?" he began as the boy hit twelve.

"Yeah?"

"You've been doing pushups every day since Rika told you about Jeri's plan to have everyone hang out at the beach."

"Um… Yeah." Takato nodded at thirteen, giving his partner a sidelong, questioning look about where he was going with this.

"I was just wondering…why you're doing this." The tip of Guilmon's tail tapped their bedroom floor. "You didn't do it before, so why now?"

Takato blushed lightly.

"Because…" he began, feeling more than a little self-conscious, as if Rika's eyes were on him now, judging him. Grading him. "Because Rika will see me… Er… See me without a shirt that is and I kind of realized that I'm not…you know. Very muscly." He paused in place, gathering air. "And I want her to like what she sees when she…sees me."

Guilmon tilted his head to one side questioningly.

"But I thought she already did. She sure smells like she does when she's with you and looking at you."

_I'm not even going to ask about how he knows Rika is happy just from smelling her…_

"Okay, I guess I want her to like what she sees _more," _he replied instead, his blush deepening. It wasn't a terribly good answer, but he wasn't sure how to properly convey his feelings on the matter. Ever since he walked her home, he had been wondering what he could do for her to be her _Dream Boy. _Try as he might however, it rapidly became apparent for him that he had _no _clue how to go about it or what Rika's ideal 'dream boy' even was. She never talked about her preferences. At least, not around him or any of the others. Jeri, maybe when no one else was around (especially Terriermon), but otherwise…

_She always keeps things close to the chest… Er… _Takato blushed ferociously. _Scratch that. Stupid goose egg._

He groaned mentally while his muscles did much the same, if for wholly different reasons.

"I just…want to be _perfect_ for her," he whispered harshly as he lowered his body once more.

Perfect. That word drew up images of Rika's rival and legendary Tamer, Ryo Akiyama. The _only _Tamer who ever beat her at the digimon card game. When she was younger, she often remarked on his demeanor, and just as often in a derogatory manner. Perfect teeth. Perfect hair. Perfect skin. Always knowing the perfect thing to say in any situation. A perfect 'refreshing breath of air.' In short, a complete and utter gentleman who was perfectly humble and his honor above reproach. The world even agreed with her on those points, whether it was his fangirls or Kazu and Kenta, his ultimate cheerleading squad. Yet, for some reason, these qualities were off-putting for the Digimon Queen.

_I wish I knew why, _Takato thought, pushing himself through the fifteenth pushup on trembling arms. _I mean, she and Ryo make a pretty good match. They'd be perfect for one another. I even used to think that she liked him._

He barked a harsh, mental laugh at that.

_Better not tell her I thought that though. She probably wouldn't forgive me._

Still. The question begged. Why him instead of Ryo? Why not Ryo at all? Or anyone else for that matter? Granted, Ryo lived pretty far away for the majority of the years that they knew him. On the other side of the country in fact, but with his partner Cyberdramon at his call, it wasn't as if the two seeing one another on a semi-regular basis was out of the question. Especially now in fact, as he had begun attending university in Tokyo. Because of this, he had a much easier time staying in touch and he did so as often as his studies allowed. They were a team after all.

Takato lowered himself back down, wondering what he would do once he graduated. Being a Tamer loomed large in his future as did the digital world, but could he depend on that?

_Maybe I should start thinking a little more seriously about this, like I am now with how I look, _he thought. _I'd like to be there for Rika as much as I can, but…what's the best way to do that? What can I offer her?_

His eyes softened as he became keenly aware of the difference between them. Being a baker didn't offer a whole lot for someone of Rika's social status. Up until recently, he hadn't given it much thought which, he suspected, was one of the things Rika liked about him. But he knew adulthood would change things. Given enough time, it was inevitable.

Around and around, his thoughts swirled and circled each other. Ryo was in university. Henry would be going overseas. Jeri was working hard to become a teacher. What was _he _going to do?

_Is being a Tamer going to be enough?_

"Takato?"

The boy let out a squawk as he suddenly found his partner's gold eyes right in front of him. Jerking, his hands slipped and he went down with a heavy _thud._

"Owww… Guilmon…"

"Sorry," the crimson dinosaur apologized. "You just stopped doing your pushups and looked like you were thinking hard." He sniffed the air and nodded to himself. "You're worried about something with Rika."

"Um… Should I ask how you can tell how I'm thinking about her just by smell?"

"Because you always smell a certain way when you think about her," Guilmon replied, a touch confused by his question. Rolling over, Takato pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Well… I guess that just shows how good your nose is," he said with a slight frown, kneading his arms. "Hey. Um… By the way, do you think I look any different?"

Guilmon cocked his head to one side, his golden eyes roaming along Takato's body before shaking his head.

"You look the same as you always do," he said. Takato's head sunk at that. It seemed it was going to take longer than a week for there to be any noticeable change. Seeing his disappointment, Guilmon placed a comforting claw on his partner's back.

"You really want to get stronger for Rika, huh?"

"Yeah." Turning, Takato gave his friend a halfhearted, but lopsided smile. "Yeah, I really do. I…I may not know why she picked me of all people, but I want to be the best I can for her. She deserves it."

"So…does that mean Rika's _your_ Tamer?"

Takato blinked at that and turned toward Guilmon, perplexed.

"Whaaa…? Where'd you get _that _idea?"

"Well, you said you want to get stronger just like I like doing for you. You said to me once that humans have partnerships that are kinda like what we have, so I wondered if that meant Rika was your Tamer."

Takato opened his mouth as if to correct him, then closed it. He turned away, his eyes thoughtful.

"Takato?" Guilmon asked, eyes confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No." Takato let out a light chuckle. "I was just thinking that if Dad were here, he would probably say something about how you're right. Terriermon too, I bet." His eyes drifted to his porch where, not too long ago, Rika had appeared to ask him out on a date. "She does make me want to improve myself and get stronger."

_To be worthy of her, _he thought quietly.

"So, does that mean you'll digivolve if you train hard enough?"

Guilmon's playful tone betrayed his teasing. Laughing, Takato turned back toward his partner.

"Sure. I'd become _Takatomon _for sure then!"

Both human and digimon broke into loud laughter just then. Great, long guffaws that released the tension in Takato's heart, if only a little bit. After a while, they quieted and looked at one another.

"What would I do without you, boy?" he asked.

"Not be in a relationship with Rika?" the dinosaur suggested. "Definitely no Guilmon bread too."

"You're obsessed." Takato gave a light chuckle at that and lifted himself off the floor. Still, he had to admit that his partner was right on both counts.

_If it weren't for Guilmon, Rika and I probably wouldn't have ever met. I probably wouldn't have even dreamed about her._

His eyes turned toward his desk where his digivice sat. The screen lay there, blank and looked no different from a toy. Yet, it was so much more than that. _So _much more.

_They can bring like-pairs together, _he thought, remembering something Mr. Mizuno – one of the creators of both the digivice and the digimon – had told him years ago. Did that mean that it had first made him aware of Rika and then their digivices brought them together?

He wondered if Rika would like that.

_Probably not, _he mused. _She doesn't like feeling like someone's controlling her destiny._

Still, he couldn't shake the question from his mind and wondered if Mr. Mizuno might have something to say about it.

_"Takato!" _came the voice of his mother from downstairs, breaking him out of his thoughts. _"Rika's on the phone!"_

"I'll be right there!" he called back. Leaving all questions behind, he hurried downstairs.

**###**

Leaning against an iron gate, Rika closed up her phone and pocketed it. Across from her, seated on the steps that led to Guilmon's old home, sat Jeri, a wide, knowing grin splayed across her face.

"Is Takato on his way?" she asked. Rika looked at the smaller girl with a look of suspicion and anxiety.

"Yeah," she said, folding her arms across her shirt. She resisted the urge to glance down at her bag. Once again, since setting out, she became aware of the two-piece bathing suit that lay within. Her heart began to play a game of rapid-fire tennis against her sternum and she shifted in response. Seeing this, Jeri giggled.

"Rika, I'm sure it'll be all right."

"I'm sure it won't be," she said adamantly. "This is Takato we're talking about. He'll find some way to _gogglehead _things up."

Jeri giggled again. "Yeah, but you _like _it when he does."

Rika jerked at that and looked at her friend sharply. The brunette shrugged.

"Okay. Only when _you _get him worked up. Sorry. But isn't that the whole point about your new bathing suit? To get him worked up?"

Rika looked away, her eyes hard enough to break rocks against.

"Kazu will be there," she countered. "You know how his eyes like to wander."

"I'm sure it won't be _as _bad as that one time," she said. Rika returned her hard look to her friend. Memories swam to the forefront of her mind from back when she had been fifteen, when her pubescent budding had begun to bear fruit. Kazu's roving eyes had been drawn to her chest like a magnet and she had responded quite negatively to his unwanted attentions. He wasn't as bad nowadays, having learned some hard lessons in the last two years, but every so often his gaze would settle on her and stick. Inevitably, she, or someone, would need to do something to _unstick _him from her person.

In truth though, she wasn't that terribly worried about Kazu's leering as she was about Takato's reaction to seeing her new bikini. A strange thing to feel, having prided herself on not caring about what people thought about her outfits and styles, but puberty had brought forth a number of things that suddenly required her to feel concern about her appearance.

She tightened her grip about her arms, her scowl deepening.

"I hate this," she grumbled. Jeri's eyes softened. Getting up from her seat, she wandered over to Rika and leaned against the concrete bunker's gate.

"If you want, we don't have to do this. We can try something else."

Rika felt shame wash over her at being given an out.

"Just because I hate it doesn't mean we're stopping," she said a bit harshly. "I'm just…you know." She took a deep breath and took hold of her emotions. "I need to do this anyway. I don't want to be a roadblock."

"Rika, you're _not _a roadblock."

"I will be if I keep running away all the time whenever _I _get worked up about something. As bad as Takato can be, at least he throws himself into things even when he knows it'll make himself look like a gogglehead."

Jeri gave the Digimon Queen a sympathetic smile. Again, Rika felt shame wash over her. Jeri had it far worse than she did, thanks to the trauma she experienced at the hands of the malevolent program known as the D-Reaper. And she did her best every day to get out there and face the world.

_I've got it good compared to her, _she thought, berating herself. _I can do this. I _have _to._

Rika frowned more deeply. _Never thought I'd hear myself say that I _need _to wear a two-piece bikini and go to the beach. I must be getting too much sun already._

"As long as you're sure," Jeri said. "Anyway, I'll help keep Kazu off your back. _And _Terriermon."

Rika arched an eyebrow. "Didn't you set this up so you could have fun instead of doing work?"

"Oh, Rika," Jeri laughed. "It _is _fun. Kind of. Besides, I haven't seen either of them in a while, so it'll be a good excuse to hang out with them." She gave Rika a wink. "Don't worry about a thing and just enjoy Takato putting sunscreen on your back."

Rika's face bloomed bright red at that, but before she could even begin to protest at her friend's insinuation, the sound of voices caught her attention. Pushing away from the gate, she looked down the stairs to find Henry and Terriermon beginning to climb them. Rika _tsked _somewhat unhappily. Henry was fine and she was more than happy to see him again. His partner on the other hand…

"Hey, Rika!" the long-eared digimon crowed from his spot on Henry's shoulder, waving one of his ears like a hand at her. "It's been a long time! Did you miss me?"

"Henry, yes. You, no," Rika replied, crossing her arms back together. Undaunted, Terriermon giggled.

"That's okay. I have _plenty _of time to change that."

"Or not change things at all," Henry sighed, drawing up to the two girls and bowing his head to them. "It's good to see you two again."

"And you, too," Jeri beamed happily. "How've you been?"

"Glued to his computer screen," Terriermon coughed.

"With you around, I bet I can guess why," Rika said, her violet eyes turning toward him. Terriermon huffed and drew himself up on his partner's shoulder.

"You say that like I drove him to it when you _know _that it's not! Well, kind of, but not like what _you're _implying."

"Rika… Terriermon…" Henry chuckled, though his tone contained a bit of a warning in it. His grey eyes went from one to the other. "He's right though. I _have _been spending a lot of time at my computer. I need to get out a little bit more." A soft smile graced his lips. "Get out and momentai."

"Which is just what Nurse Jeri ordered," Jeri giggled. Terriermon's eyes grew wide at that and a playful smirk crossed his features. One that Rika quickly observed.

_"Don't _even think about it, Rabbitmon," she warned. Terriermon paused, looking at her, and then a devilish glint entered his dark eyes.

"Think about what?" he asked. "Because if you're saying I was thinking about _Nurse _Jeri playing _Princess Pretty Pants _with Henry, I totally wasn't thinking that. I don't know why _you _were, though."

There followed a deafening silence, during which the faces of all three humans flushed a deep, _dark _red. Rika's mouth worked, trying to rally so she could make some kind of response. Something particularly biting, but try as she might, she couldn't find the words for it. Jeri shifted, looking down at her feet, doing everything in her power to avoid meeting Henry's eyes as Terriermon's words conjured up ideas and images she didn't want to pursue.

And as for Henry? He drew a hand across his face, ran it up along his forehead and through his smooth, neatly combed hair. His cheeks were dark and burned with heat. His eyes were closed, battling against the very same mental imagery that now raced through Jeri's mind. He sighed in obvious discomfort.

"Terriermon…"

"What?" came the expected reply from the long-eared digimon, his dark eyes sparkling mischievously. "Momentai! It's not _my _fault if she has nurse fantasies, is it?"

_"Terriermon!"_

"All right. All right." The digimon sighed and shook his head. "Sheesh. I don't know what the big deal is."

"I'm pretty sure you know _exactly _what the big deal is," Henry said in exasperation. Massaging the bridge of his nose, he groaned. "Suzie should never have let you have access to the Internet…"

"With what she's looking at online, she shouldn't even have access at all." Giggling, he turned towards the still blushing Rika and winked. "You know, maybe you should talk to Takatomon about that fantasy of yours. I bet _he_ would be _glad _to help."

At that point, Rika promptly gave up on trying to find an appropriate comeback and went straight for a blunter approach.

**###**

With his bag bouncing lightly against his back, Takato was deep in thought as he and Guilmon made their way down the park path. For a change, his partner didn't press him about his silence and seemed more concerned with looking up at the sky, sniffing the air. Takato wondered if his scent gave him away.

_He says I always smell a certain way whenever I'm thinking about Rika, _he thought, feeling slightly embarrassed about how his thoughts and feelings were broadcasted to his partner. Still, he had to admit that if Guilmon was taking those subtle cues and realizing that he needed some quiet to organize his thoughts, there was at least a silver lining.

_I wonder how Henry must deal with that with his partner, _he mused. _Or Rika. I mean, our digimon are always pretty sensitive to how we're doing. They're all in tune with us and how we feel, look and smell. It's all 'data' for them, but we don't even think about it. I don't even pick up on how I smell except when I've been sweating a lot or skipped a shower. Rika…_

His mind paused on the sound of a distant jet engine and he found himself swallowing heavily, remembering Rika's proximity over the years, especially once his feelings for her began to manifest. Her scent, which he always associated with cherry blossoms during a day shower, had caught his attention on many occasions. The heat in his face turned up a notch and he shook his head.

_I-I bet Rika doesn't have to worry about this kind of thing. _He groaned inwardly. _I mean,_ _Renamon at least seems to have some kind of understanding with Rika and seems pretty smart about things. Wise even. They never look like they have problems. I had a hard enough time trying to explain all this to Guilmon._

He shook his head, remembering all the uncomfortable conversations they had about puberty and wet dreams and his growing sexual interest in girls. At the very least, Guilmon had been patient throughout the whole thing, even if he did occasionally blurt out something he shouldn't.

_Probably a far cry from what Henry goes through with Terriermon, _he thought as the roar of jet engines began to draw closer.

"Hey, Chumley!" crowed a voice from above, breaking Takato out of his thoughts. "Top of the morning to you!"

"Top of the wha…?" began Takato, his head snapping up just in time to sight the oncoming form of a massive, rust-colored, can-shaped robot dropped down from above the trees. Guardromon's engines, aimed at the ground, fired hard, slowing his descent until, with only inches to spare, they cut. The android landed heavily, but with grace, and from his shoulders hopped off a tall boy with a wolfish-looking grin and mischievous grey eyes.

Guardromon and his partner, Kazu Shiota. Two friends of his since childhood and the latter a fellow Tamer.

"How's it going, Chumley?" he asked, clapping Takato on the arm with enough force to almost knock him off balance. "Looking forward to going to the beach today?" He smirked and circled his arm about Takato's shoulders, drawing him closer. "Looking forward to seeing Rika in her swimsuit?" he added, his voice dropping to almost a whisper.

"K-Kazu…" Takato blushed, disentangling himself from his friend. "Don't…Don't say things like that."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Kazu stepped back and hefted his bag of beach supplies. "Renamon's got those crazy ears and probably already heard me. It's not like Rika's ever going to like me the way she likes you." Planting a fist on his hip, he looked at his friend curiously. "But seriously, are you looking forward to seeing Rika in her swimsuit? I bet she went all out this time, Chumley."

Takato adjusted his bag, wondering if he should tell Kazu that he and Rika were already together. She had been rather cagey about the idea of informing anyone, especially Kazu and Terriermon due to how often they tended to tease the two of them. And like sharks detecting blood in the water, Rika especially since hitting puberty, as she became increasingly self-conscious about herself and her feelings towards her gogglehead.

"I'm looking forward to spending time with her," he decided to say evasively, rubbing the back of his head. Kazu _tsked, _and shook his head.

"Wuss," he said. "But probably for the best. If Renamon hears you saying stuff like that, she'd report it to Rika and then she'd be mad at you the whole trip. Don't worry though. I'm not about to let anything get in the way of you two getting together!"

"Uh… Kazu. You _really _don't have to do anything." He looked at his friend with some concern, wondering what was causing him to be suddenly this blunt about how he and Rika felt about one another. Previously, he tended to be a bit more subtle as it amused him to no end watching the Digimon Queen and her chosen knight squirm at the unspoken implications between them.

"Sure, I do!" Kazu began to dig around in his bag and produced a magazine. Takato's eyes went wide as saucers as he caught a glimpse of the cover, showcasing a woman naked from the waist up, hands holding a pair of undone bikini-straps just above where her nipples would be. One eye was closed in a saucy wink as she smirked knowingly at her viewer.

"Kazu!" he hissed. "What are you _doing _with that?!"

"Duh!" The boy began to flip through its contents rapidly. "I got an idea on how to help you get closer to Rika. The two of you have been dancing around each other forever and I think it's about time you two kicked it up to the next level. Here! Take a look!"

Stopping at a particular page, Kazu shoved the magazine at Takato, who took it reflexively. His eyes dropped into the magazine and he yelped before closing it up.

"Well?" Kazu asked, grinning. "What do you think?"

"I think if I did something like that, Rika would murder me." He handed the book back to the boy and brushed past him.

"What? Hey, come on! Chumley… It's a _great _idea!" He flipped the book back open and handed it to Guilmon, who blinked. "What do you think? It'd help, right?"

Guilmon stared at the book in bewilderment for a second before taking it in his claws. "Wow. That girl looks like she really likes what he's doing to her."

_"Guilmon!" _Takato snatched the book out of Guilmon's claws, causing the dinosaur to blink once again, his bewilderment knowing no end. Takato shot Kazu a hard glare.

"Come on," the other teen chuckled indifferently. "At least think about it? What have you got to lose? Rika already thinks you're a gogglehead anyway. This'll just be another notch in her scorecard."

Takato opened his mouth to tell his wayward friend that with he and Rika already together, he didn't _need _any half-brained schemes to test the waters of her interest. Before he could even get a word out edgewise however, a primal roar of anger and a shriek of fear echoed from somewhere ahead of them. Sniffing the air, Guilmon straightened up.

"Takato. I smell Rika. And she's _mad!"_

"She's _always _mad about something," Kazu replied. "It's like she's always on her period or…"

Takato's sudden bolting off in the direction of the roar interrupted him, leaving him, Guardromon and Guilmon behind in a cloud of dust. Kazu folded his arms together, an annoyed look on his face.

"Typical. Always got to play the hero."

"Why is he running?" Guardromon asked. "There aren't any digimon around other than us, and whoever it is that's screaming, it sounds like they have more to worry about from Rika than she does from them."

"It's a Takato-thing," Kazu shrugged. Unfolding his arms, he began to saunter on, his jog brisk, but casual. "Come on, guys. I want to see the fireworks."

**###**

Takato bolted down the park pathways and blew past his friend, Kenta with scarcely a nod of hello before charging up the stairs to the old hideout. Panic and anger both thumped hard in his chest as he envisioned all manner of horrors to which Rika could be having done to her. A wild digimon they had missed ambushing her. A creeper. Impmon flipping up her shirt. Terriermon doing something that only Terriermon would do… The list went on, having seemingly no end thanks to his inexhaustible imagination.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, panting hard, he drew to a halt and took stock of the situation. Terriermon was presently hopping about Henry's feet while the boy tried to keep himself between his partner and Rika. At the iron gate, Jeri had an alarmed look on her face.

"Henry! _Stop _getting in the way and let me…!"

"Rika, please. Let's not start off like this. Terriermon said he was sorry."

"Yeah! And I mean it this time! Momentai, will you?"

"I'll momentai you into a hospital bed, you long-eared _rat!"_

"You know, it's talk like that that's keeping you and Takatomon from… Oh, hey! Speaking of whom! Hey, Takato!"

"Uh… Hey." Takato waved at the chaotic group uncertainly. _Well, at least I was right about that one. _"Staying out of trouble, I see."

"More like getting _in _trouble," said Henry as Rika attempted to circle about him again. The half-Chinese Tamer kept pace with her, refusing to let her by. "The usual reason why I don't see anyone anymore."

"And I thought it was because you're always glued to your computer screen," Terriermon said, trotting over to the goggle-wearing Tamer. "Maybe I should move in with Takato. He at least gets out more."

"You'd kill his business," growled Rika as Kenta arrived at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" the dark-haired boy asked, adjusting his glasses. From his vest emerged a floating, pink-colored fairy with a bulbous shaped head. It waved a tiny wing at Jeri, who giggled and waved back.

"Oh, the usual," replied Terriermon. "I say something completely innocent and Rika takes it the wrong way."

The fairy digimon frowned down at Terriermon and spoke a single word.

"Pih!"

"Hey!" Terriermon planted his hands on his hips. "I think that qualifies as _rude!" _He turned to face Kenta. "What did he say, anyway?"

"Ah…" Kenta laughed and scratched the side of his face. "It kind of loses something in the translation. Um… So, that aside, how's everyone…"

_"Whoa!" _Terriermon exclaimed suddenly. "Hot mama! Takatomon! What's _that _you got there?"

Rika's eyebrows rose as Takato looked down at Terriermon in utter confusion at first before following the Rookie's pointed finger toward the magazine he was holding in his hand. Scarlet _drowned _his face a second later and Rika quickly saw why. The back of the magazine showed a woman's round, heart-shaped posterior pointed directly at its viewer. The woman's head poked out from behind, blowing a kiss.

Takato's eyes shot over toward Rika with sudden alarm. "It's… It's not… I didn't… It's not what it looks like?"

"Not what it looks like, huh?" Terriermon asked. Rika brushed past Henry, who, in his shock, barely even noticed. He was too busy looking at Takato as if he had grown rabbit ears out of his goggles.

"It sure looks like what it looks like," Terriermon continued, tapping his chin with a wide grin. "You brought a porn magazine to Jeri's get-together. Even for you, that's pretty goggleheaded."

Takato's face only darkened in further horror and humiliation as Rika approached. Jeri watched with concern and she took a step forward. However, a shadow fell over her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw a surprising pair of blue eyes staring at her, and a single finger raised to its owner's lips, signaling silence.

Rika drew to a halt in front of Takato and she folded her arms together. Terriermon looked back and forth between the two before skedaddling off, zipping back over to his partner as the boy shook himself back to attention.

"Well?" Rika began, her tone neutral. "I'm listening."

"Rika," began Henry. "I'm sure he has a good explanation…"

"I'm sure he does," Rika interrupted, her voice still betraying not a single emotion. "I just want to hear it from him."

Takato swallowed, his red eyes looking directly into Rika's violet ones. A part of him wanted to look away, but another, wiser part, instructed him to hold firm. That things weren't as bad as he thought they were. Listening to that second half, he began to speak, only to find his voice beginning to crack at the very first word. He saw Rika wince at that in sympathy. Takato felt a flood of relief seeing that and, simultaneously, a conceived a desire to kick himself. Of course, Rika would genuinely want to hear him out and not think the worst about him right off the bat.

_That's right, _he thought, remembering their date at his house._ She knows me. I may be a gogglehead, but she knows I wouldn't do something like this without a good reason behind it._

It didn't make him feel better, but he had to remind himself that Rika trusted him, and that trust wasn't something earned easily. Especially where they stood with one another now. Taking a breath to steady himself he looked at Rika an apologetically. "I heard you shout and got worried," he said. Rika arched an eyebrow questioningly, mulling it over in her head before nodding.

"And because of that you did something goggleheaded," she said, nodding to the magazine. The tension in the air was fast evaporating and Terriermon's ears shot up in surprise at this turn of events.

_What the…? No yelling? No glaring? What's going on here?_

While Terriermon's world was being turned upside down by this unexpected change between the two Tamers, the sound of something heavy clanging down at the end of the stairs reached the group. Rika cocked her head to one side.

"Let me guess as to who's responsible."

"Um… Before you go ballistic on him, just know that he was coming at this from a good place."

Rika gave Takato a flat stare before snatching the magazine out of his hand. Marching around him, she strode over to the top of the stairs just in time for Kazu to arrive. Seeing her, the boy's grey eyes glanced down briefly at the magazine in Rika's hand before meeting her eyes.

"Aw, man. I missed the fireworks, didn't I?"

Rika shoved the magazine into his chest, causing him to stumble backward into his partner. Wordlessly, she stalked back over to Takato and folded her arms together.

All eyes were now on the pair, rather surprised by their rather passive interaction. MarineAngemon looked over at Kenta.

"Pih."

"You think so, buddy?" he asked. The fairy digimon nodded and Kenta looked at him uncertainly. "Well, if you say so."

"What did he say?" Rika demanded, a touch of heat making itself known in her voice. Kenta shrugged and smiled placatingly.

"It's nothing."

"It's nice to see you all again," Jeri interceded, deciding that now was as good a time as any to change the subject. "Are you all ready to go to the beach?"

"Despite my partner's near derailment of this outing, I can certainly say that _I _am ready!" Guardromon said, pumping a mechanical fist into the air. "Or, I will be once I put on my swimwear."

"You're kidding," Rika said, staring at the android in bewilderment. Kazu sighed and nodded.

"He got it into his head that he can't go to the beach without it. It's like he thinks he'll look naked or something."

"Kazu!" Guardromon protested. "It's all about the _spirit _of the event! Everyone will be wearing something that's appropriate for the beach. I see no reason why I shouldn't do the same."

"My allowance is plenty of reason. Do you know how hard it was customizing those swim trunks for you? You're probably going to wreck them the second you put them on."

"You two are _such _clowns," Rika groaned while Jeri laughed.

"Shall we get going then?" the brunette asked.

"Sure. By the way, Chumley. You left Guilmon behind. He's all upset again that you didn't give him longer legs to keep up with you."

"Is he now? Perhaps I can help him feel better." came Renamon's voice as she teleported directly in front of the teen. Kazu jumped in surprise, and once more all eyes went wide.

She stood tall and lithe and _very _human-like, yet with noticeable muscle on her arms and legs. Long, golden hair fell down the back of her shirt, borrowed from Rika and framed her strong, yet heart-shaped face. A skirt flowed past her knees, barely hiding the tip of a fox-tail that poked out from underneath it.

"Hot…_mama!" _Terriermon breathed from his spot by Henry's foot.

"Terriermon…"

"But… Henry! Just _look _at her!"

"I _am, _but that's not an excuse to be rude!"

Renamon's human, blue eyes stared at Kazu with a playful smirk as she folded her arms beneath her breasts.

"Well?" she prompted, giving her bust a slight push and causing Kazu's face to burn with fire as he jerked his gaze away. "As Jeri said, shall we get going?"

"Ah…uh…" Kazu nodded numbly and stood aside. With a soft chuckle, Renamon stepped past him, her hips giving a little sway to each step as she went.

Kenta approached Kazu, both of their eyes glued on the vulpine-turned human.

"Is… Is that…?"

"Her transformation ability, kohenkyo?" Kazu supplied as Kenta trailed off. "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

They remained fixed in place, unable to take their eyes off the kitsune as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Takato scrunched his face up, realizing that everyone was still in a state of shock and needed a bit of a push.

"Let's…ah… Let's get going," he said, starting toward the stairs. Slowly, Henry began to drag himself forward, seemingly at a loss for words while Jeri, smiling, looped an arm through Rika's and tugged her in the direction of the stairs. Satisfied that they at least were moving again, he looked back at Kazu and Kenta, who were still rooted where they stood. Approaching them, he gave them both a prod with his fingers.

"Um… You're drooling guys."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing with the idea of getting back into 'A Spring Flowering' lately, but I found myself uncertain about pulling off mature-content material after being away from the story for so long (going on two years in a few months). So, consider this a 'getting my feet wet' story that gets me used to writing such material again in preparation for tackling Spring. Don't know if I'll continue this fic or how explicit it will get. For now, it's going to be more vanilla with some added details thrown in for Takato's suffering.


End file.
